CABINET OFFICE

Consultation Documents

Simon Hughes: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will list Government written consultation documents published since 1 January 2000 which had consultation periods of (a) less than three weeks, (b) between three and six weeks, (c) between 12 weeks and (d) 12 weeks or more.

Douglas Alexander: The Cabinet Office does not hold information for the time period specified. However, in a survey of Government written consultations carried out in 2001, 80 per cent. lasted at least 12 weeks.

Counselling Services

Paul Marsden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what arrangements are made in his Department to allow staff to access counselling services.

Douglas Alexander: The Cabinet Office is committed to supporting its staff and provides an in-house staff counselling and support service which offers short-term counselling, information and advice on work and non-work related issues for all employees.
	A contract has also been put in place to provide access to external counselling in individual cases where in house provision would not be possible or appropriate.

Criminal Offences

Simon Hughes: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will list, broken down by Act, the criminal offences created in legislation sponsored by his office since 1997.

Douglas Alexander: None.

Market Testing

John Bercow: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the estimated level of saving to the Department is from the use of market testing in 2002–03.

Douglas Alexander: My Department undertook no market testing exercises during 2002–03. However, in the performance of its business activities, the Cabinet Office seeks to ensure that value for money is always obtained, whether the work is carried out by in-house or external providers.

Next Steps Agencies

Nick Gibb: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether there are centralised records kept of (a) all Government Next Steps agencies and (b) their current chief executives.

Douglas Alexander: The Cabinet Office keeps a record of executive agencies and their chief executives. It is published on its website at http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/agencies-public bodies/
	This information also appears as hard copy in the Civil Service Yearbook, published by HMSO.

Next Steps Agencies

Nick Gibb: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will list the Government Next Steps agencies, with their respective chief executives.

Douglas Alexander: The Cabinet Office list of executive agencies and their chief executives is published on its website at http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/agencies-publicbodies/
	This information also appears as hard copy in the Civil Service Yearbook, published by HMSO.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Accountancy Services

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total cost to her Department was for accountancy services in 2002–03.

Alun Michael: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 1 April 2003, Official Report, column 634W.

Angling

Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many angling development officer posts the Environment Agency are funding over the next three years; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: There are currently six fisheries development officers in England and Wales who are tasked with developing and supporting projects to develop fisheries, including angling. Another post is being considered for 2004–05, but no further posts are anticipated.

Angling

Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much money was allocated by the Environment Agency to encourage participation in angling in each of the last five years; how much the Agency has allocated for each of the next three years; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: The Agency does not specifically allocate funds for the promotion of angling, although the Agency's work to improve fisheries will encourage further participation. The Agency's fisheries expenditure from 1998–99 to 2005–06 is as follows:
	
		
			  Expenditure (£ million) 
		
		
			 1998–99 21.0 
			 1999–2000 22.2 
			 2000–01 22.4 
			 2001–02 21.4 
			 2002–03 26.5 
			 2003–04(1) 27.2 
			 2004–05(1) 27.8 
			 2005–06(1) 28.4 
		
	
	(1) Estimated expenditure.

Animal By-products

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the number of abattoirs that will be unable to comply with the blood tank requirements of the Animal By-Products Regulation.

Margaret Beckett: The Department has issued guidance on simple, low-cost ways in which abattoirs can adapt to the new requirements, and believe that most abattoirs should be able to comply with the Regulation. However, we recognise there will be some cases where there may be genuine difficulties with compliance in the required timescale. We have asked the Meat Hygiene Service, who are the enforcement authority, to look at each such case on its merits provided there is a clear plan of work in place for complying with the new requirements.

Plastic Bottles

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has held with her ministerial colleagues on promoting the use of plastic alcohol bottles in bars and clubs; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: Officials of Government Departments are working closely with the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit on their study to produce a national strategy for reducing the harm associated with alcohol misuse. The study is paying particular attention to the issue of alcohol-related violence, and views have been sought and obtained from a wide variety of organisations and individuals.

Plastic Bottles

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received to encourage increased use of plastic bottles in bars and clubs from (a) the police, (b) environmental agencies and (c) other interested parties; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: This Department has not received any representations regarding the use of plastic bottles in bars and clubs from environmental agencies or other interested parties.
	With regard to the public order aspect of the question, Home Office Officials have not held any recent discussions with representatives of the British Beer and Pub Association or other organisations on what can be done to promote the use of plastic bottles. Representations have been received from one individual, advocating a switch from glass to plastic bottles in the UK licensed trade to minimise the risk of glass-related injuries taking place.
	As indicated in the reply given on 29 March 2003, Official Report, column 457W, we remain concerned about the high level of injuries that occur when glasses and bottles are used as weapons in drink-related situations in and outside licensed premises and other drinking establishments, and we intend to see that this problem is effectively tackled. The Licensing Bill Guidance that has been published in draft by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport will include a range of conditions that a licensing authority could impose on a premises to address violence of this form.

Plastic Bottles

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) glass alcohol bottles and (b) plastic alcohol bottles were recycled in the latest 12 months for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: We have no specific information on the proportion of the glass and plastic that is recycled from alcohol bottles.

Plastic Bottles

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what evidence she has collated on the practicality of recycling (a) plastic and (b) glass alcohol bottles; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: The recycled amount of glass packaging going into the waste stream has increased since 1998. The figures are as follows:
	1998—23 per cent.
	1999—27 per cent.
	2000—33 per cent.
	2001—33 per cent.
	The recycle-more-glass scheme collects mixed glass for recycling free of charge from pubs, clubs, restaurants and bars. After 18 months it has signed up over 16,000 premises nationwide. The scheme collects 60,000 tonnes of glass a year, the equivalent to nearly 200 million bottles and jars.
	We are not aware of similar schemes for collection and recycling of plastic bottles from pubs and clubs.

Canoeing

Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many development officer posts the Environment Agency is funding to encourage canoeing over the next three years; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: There are 20 staff employed in England and Wales with responsibility for developing waterways and associated recreational activities, including canoeing. This is not expected to change over the next three years.

Canoeing

Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much money was allocated by the Environment Agency to encourage participation in canoeing in each of the last five years; how much the Agency has allocated for each of the next three years; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: The Environment Agency does not specifically allocate funds for the promotion of canoeing. Around £6 million grant-in-aid is spent per annum in the development of the Agency's waterways projects and includes the promotion of canoeing.

Common Agricultural Policy

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will place in the Library copies of responses made to her Department's consultation on the Mid-Term Review of the Common Agricultural Policy.

Margaret Beckett: In line with standard practice, responses to the consultation exercise are available to the public through the main Defra library and copies of the list of respondents has been placed in the Library of the House.

Counselling Services

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what arrangements are made in her Department to allow staff to access counselling services.

Alun Michael: This Department has its own in-house Staff Welfare Service, which provides a service to staff and managers in the core Department and to all of its agencies. The 9 Welfare Officers, who are based in various locations throughout the country, have all received training in counselling and are available to staff on a 24 hour basis, 365 days a year.
	The Welfare Officers are able to deal with any problem brought to them by staff, whether they originate from inside or outside the workplace and by doing so they help them to resolve or come to terms with those problems, thus helping to keep staff effective at work.

Document Classification

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many documents are held by her Department that are subject to security classification, broken down by category of classification.

Alun Michael: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to him by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Cabinet Office (Mr. Alexander) on 7 May 2003, Official Report, column 696W.

Farmers' Grants

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the schemes making grants to farmers that have met the targets in the Citizens Charter for (a) notification and (b) payment.

Alun Michael: The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) is responsible for administering CAP payments to farmers in England.
	Citizens Charter targets do not apply to the RPA, as its targets are set annually by its Ownership Board and are approved by Ministers.
	Performance against target for the RPA in respect of subsidy payments to farmers and replies to correspondence for the financial year 2002–03 is as shown in the table. These figures are provisional pending validation by Audit.
	
		
			 Target Performance 
		
		
			 To process and pay at least 96.14 per cent. of valid IACS claims by value within the EU deadline. 96.42% 
			 To ensure that 92 per cent. of correspondence is answered within 15 working days 92.29%

GM Field Trials

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what weight she will attach to public opinion expressed through the intended consultation exercise in formulating her response to the results of the GM field trials.

Michael Meacher: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has already made clear that the public debate will help to inform the Government's policy-making on GM, including its policy on the cultivation of GM crops, and that we will indicate what we have learned from the debate when making future policy announcements.

GM Field Trials

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make it her policy to allow a minimum of three months public consultation on GM crops following the publication of the results of the GM field trials before deciding her response to these trials.

Michael Meacher: The Government do not intend to issue a formal response to the results of the GM field trials. The public will have an opportunity to debate the issues surrounding GM crops during the forthcoming public debate. Once the scientific papers reporting the results of the GM field trials are published and in the public domain, there will be further opportunity to comment on the implications.

Household Waste

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has carried out a cost-benefit analysis on changes in the collection of bulky items of waste from individual households; how much she has spent on addressing fly tipping in local authorities that have introduced charges for the collection of household waste; and what the likely administrative costs are estimated to be of introducing a charge for the collection of waste items from individual households.

Michael Meacher: We have not carried out a cost-benefit analysis on changes in the collection of bulky items of waste from individual households.
	Local authorities receive funding through the Environmental, Protective and Cultural Services block and it is not therefore possible to estimate how much local authorities have spent on tackling fly tipping.
	Information on the administrative costs of local authorities introducing charges for the collection of bulky items of waste from individual households is not held centrally.

Household Waste

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the environmental benefits of a free service for the collection of bulky items of waste from individual households; and what guidance she gives to local authorities on the advisability of introducing charges for the collection of bulky items of waste.

Michael Meacher: No assessment has been made of the environmental benefits of a free service for the collection of bulky items of waste from individual householders. The Government intends to conduct research into fly tipping that will look at schemes that have been instigated by local authorities to combat fly tipping. One of the areas to be covered is the free collection of bulky items.
	Guidance to local authorities on the advisability of introducing charges for the collection of bulky items of waste was published in the joint Circular from the Department of the Environment (Circular 13/88) and the Welsh Office (Circular 19/88) and this advice was reinforced in the joint Circular from the Department of the Environment (Circular 14/92), the Welsh Office (Circular 30/92) and the Scottish Office Environment Department (Circular 24/92).

Illegal Timber Imports

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action is being taken at EU level to tackle the trade in illegal timber imports; whether the UK will support new EU legislation to ban the trade in illegally acquired timber and timber products; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: Under EU law, import controls on illegally logged timber can only be imposed at EU level. We are therefore working actively within the EU, where this is now being considered. The Government are strongly encouraging the European Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) process. The European Commission will shortly publish a proposed FLEGT action plan. The plan will include consideration of new EU legislative regulations to address imports of illegally logged timber in a way that is consistent with EU obligations to the World Trade Organisation.

Land Use Policy Group

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the Land Use Policy Group.

Alun Michael: Ministers and officials meet regularly with the England bodies that make up the Land Use Policy Group which are the Environment Agency, the Countryside Agency and English Nature, all of which are sponsored by the Department. Recently, officials have taken part in meetings of the group and presentations on their recent report "Europe's Rural Futures". We look forward to a continuing close relationship with the LUPG, and to a continuing valuable contribution by the Group to policy development.

Landfill

Robert Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many landfill sites are no longer allowed to accept waste for disposal as a result of their failure to submit a conditioning plan; and what estimate she has made of the volume of waste that has thereby been diverted to (a) other landfill sites and (b) other means of disposal.

Michael Meacher: Under the Landfill (England and Wales) Regulations 2002, operators of landfills that wished to continue to accept waste after 16 July 2002 had to submit a conditioning plan to the Environment Agency. Those that did not wish to continue to accept waste had no need to submit a plan, so it is not possible to know exactly how many fell into this latter category. However, the Agency had expected around 1,100 plans to be submitted, and in the event just under 1,000 actually were. What this constitutes in terms of diversion of waste is impossible to say, but all waste generated has to be either re-used, recycled, recovered or disposed of regardless of the number of landfill sites available.

Landfill

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent under the landfill tax credit scheme in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03 (i) on Object C and CC projects, (ii) on community environmental projects and (iii) in total on all eligible schemes.

Michael Meacher: Figures provided by Entrust, which regulates the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme on behalf of HM Customs and Excise, are set out in the table (figures are collected on a calendar year basis):
	
		£ million
		
			 Project spend (UK) Community Environment Projects (2)Total project 
			 Year Object C/CC (object D/E) spend 
		
		
			 2001 34.28 56.73 82.05 
			 2002 35.14 51.12 84.23 
			 2003(3) 6.23 7.16 13.51 
		
	
	(2) Some projects are counted in both object columns but the spend is only included once in the total
	(3) To date

National Minimum Wage

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the estimated cost is in 2003–04 to her Department, agencies and the non-departmental public bodies for which she is responsible of the increase in the national minimum wage from £4.20 per hour to £4.50 per hour.

Alun Michael: None. The minimum salary from 1 April 2003 is already above the rate quoted in respect of Defra employees as well as in respect of Defra agencies, Food for Britain and non-departmental public bodies for which Defra Ministers have responsibility.

Organic Food

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish her Department's life cycle environmental analysis of the production and consumption of organic foodstuffs by type.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 7 May 2003
	No such analysis has been carried out. However the Department is preparing a fully referenced study analysing the environmental impacts of organic farming. And we have commissioned studies on particular aspects of the impacts of organic farming, for example the impact on the rural economy, on biodiversity and on energy use.

Power Stations

Eric Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the objective of the review by the Environment Agency of regulations governing emissions from power stations is to ensure that the most efficient power stations and those fitted with flue gas desulphurisation plant are used to the maximum.

Michael Meacher: The Environment Agency has carried out a review of Integrated Pollution Control authorisations for power stations not fitted with flue gas desulphurisation plant. If such installations were unable to present a good 'Best Available Techniques Not Entailing Excessive Cost' justification for not using the abatement plant then they were authorised to operate at no more than a 40 per cent. load factor in 2001 and 2002. The next principal review of these authorisations is likely to be carried out in 2003–04. The objective of this review will be to secure a further reduction in the emissions of sulphur dioxide from coal fired power stations in 2004–05. One way to achieve this is to ensure the fullest use of Flue Gas Desulphurisation-equipped power stations. In addition, the review will consider how to avoid commercially disadvantaging power stations that are fitted with flue gas desulphurisation plant, and benefiting those without.

Power Stations

Eric Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the amount by which sulphur dioxide emissions could be reduced if coal fired power stations fitted with flue gas desulphurisation plant were used to the maximum load factor with consequential lower load factors at unabated plant.

Michael Meacher: As part of the Government's plans to implement the revised Large Combustion Plant Directive, assessments are being carried out of a range of pollution control measures (including flue gas desulphurisation plant) and their impacts upon the environment and will be consulted upon in the near future.
	The actual emissions of sulphur dioxide are varied between power stations because of the different sulphur contents in the fuels burnt and the different load factors at which individual power stations operate. No estimate has therefore been made of the amount by which sulphur dioxide emissions could be reduced if coal fired power stations fitted with flue gas desulphurisation plant were used to the maximum load factor with consequential lower load factors at unabated plant. The following table compares recent figures for the amount of sulphur dioxide that is discharged from power stations in the UK, with and without flue gas desulphurisation equipment.
	
		Statistics for UK Coal Fired Generation Plant 1998 to 2000 for Installations Operating with and without Flue Gas Desulphurisation Equipment ("FGD")
		
			   Year 
			 Measure Unit 1998(4) 1999 2000 
		
		
			  
			  
			 Total amount of coal burnt with FGD 000s of tonnes 12,838 11,396 11,540 
			 Total amount of coal burnt without FGD 000s of tonnes 33,789 28,187 38,565 
			 Total amount of SO2 emitted with FGD 000s of tonnes 135 54 45 
			 Total amount of SO2 emitted without FGD 000s of tonnes 922 704 756 
			 Average amount of SO2 emitted per gigawatt generated with FGD 000s of tonnes per GWh 4.09 1.79 1.48 
			 Average amount of SO2 emitted per gigawatt generated without FGD 000s of tonnes per GWh 10.77 9.79 8.74 
			 Average amount of SO2 per tonne of coal without FGD  0.011 0.005 0.004 
			 Average amount of SO2 Per tonne of coal without FGD  0.027 0.025 0.020 
		
	
	(4) The FGD plant at AES Drax was out of commission for much of the year

Right to Roam

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the appeals procedure is for a landowner whose property has been entered in error as common land on the draft Right to Roam map.

Alun Michael: It is necessary to separate out two issues in responding to this question. The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (the CROW Act) sets out how maps of open country and registered common land are to be prepared for the purposes of the statutory right of access. This work is being carried out in England by the Countryside Agency. The law dealing with the registration and other aspects of common land pre-dates the CROW Act and is generally very complex.
	As far as the CROW Act is concerned, there is a statutory right of appeal against the showing of common land on the Countryside Agency's maps of open country and registered common land on the ground that the land is not registered common land. However, there is no appeal against the showing of such land on the ground that it has been wrongly registered as common land.
	As far as the law on common land more generally is concerned, I announced proposals for future legislation on common land last July that would include provision for wrongly registered land to be removed from local authority registers. Although we hope to bring forward measures as soon as parliamentary time permits, I can give no guarantee at this stage, either about the timing of legislation, or its scope.

Rural Diversification

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the constraints on rural diversification imposed by planning requirements; and what recent discussions she has had with the Deputy Prime Minister on a more permissive planning environment for farmers seeking to diversify.

Alun Michael: . The report found that overall 83 per cent. of the planning applications considered had been approved; nonetheless, all planning authorities in rural areas are being encouraged to follow best practice and reach the standard of the best.
	for reform of the planning system reflect the need for the system to be faster, simpler and more predictable, and to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development. As part of a review of all existing planning policy guidance signalled in the proposals, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is currently reviewing Planning Policy Guidance note 7 [3] which sets out policies specifically for rural areas. Within the Government's objectives for sustainable development, the overall aim is to make the planning system more responsive to the needs of all rural businesses, taking account of all relevant economic, social and environmental issues. The Government has provided a significant injection of extra resources into local authority planning services to help with delivering the step change represented by the overall package of reforms.
	The Department continues to work closely with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on ensuring that the effectiveness and relevance of Government planning policies and other planning issues is kept under review.
	The Implementation of National Planning Policy Guidance (PPG7) in Relation to the Diversification of Farm Businesses, October 2001, ODPM
	'Sustainable Communities—Delivering Through Planning', July 2002, ODPM
	The Countryside— Environmental Quality and Economic and Social Development' (PPG7), February 1997, part updated March 2001, ODPM

Solvents Emissions Directive

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what date she has set for the full implementation of the EU Solvents Emissions Directive; and if she will make a statement.

Alun Michael: We expect to consult this summer on draft regulations to complete transposition of the Solvent Emissions Directive (1999/13/EC). In the light of the responses to the consultation, we expect the regulations to enter into force probably by the end of the year subject to parliamentary procedures. Implementation will follow; the Directive does not require existing installations to comply with the emission limit values in the Directive until 31 October 2007.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Barmouth Road Post Office

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the effects on (a) pensioners, (b) the disabled and (c) the local community of the closure of the Barmouth Road Post Office, Wandsworth, SW18.

Stephen Timms: Assessment of the effects on customers of proposals for closure of each specific post office under their urban reinvention programme, including comments received during the public consultation period, is an operational matter for Post Office Limited and I have asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to my hon. Friend.

Biofuels

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions have been held between her Department and its counterparts in the US Administration regarding (a) the future development of biofuels and (b) a reduction in the use of petrol.

Brian Wilson: holding answer 6 May 2003
	Officials in this Department hold regular discussions with their US counterparts on a wide range of energy issues. In the course of this dialogue, there has been no specific discussion of either the development of biofuels or reduction in the use of petrol. However, the US sees potential for hydrogen as a transport fuel that would displace petrol and thereby reduce consumption. The hydrogen economy and fuel cells are the subject of ongoing discussions between both sides. There have also been detailed bilateral discussions on biomass technologies, including a joint workshop on advanced conversion technologies for biomass which was held in London in 2002.

Builders (Doorstep Inquiries)

Marion Roe: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action she is taking to alert householders to the risks of dealing with doorstep callers from the building industry seeking work; and if she will introduce a requirement that all such callers should carry a valid insurance certificate for Employers Liability and Public Liability, giving the (a) name, (b) company name and (c) registered address of the insurers.

Brian Wilson: The Office of Fair Trading is currently investigating the doorstep selling sector as a super complaint within the terms of the Enterprise Act 2002. Its report is expected later this year. Any recommendations will be carefully considered.

Counselling Services

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what arrangements are made in her Department to allow staff to access counselling services.

Patricia Hewitt: All DTI staff have access to in house counsellors. They can also be referred on by the in house team to external counselling if needed. DTI aims to be a first rate employer. It recognises that by helping staff and managers tackle personal and work problems, counselling makes a valuable contribution to its people's morale and effectiveness.

Employment Tribunals

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry who the chief executive officer of Employment Tribunals is.

Alan Johnson: Responsibility for the operation of the Employment Tribunals rests with the President of the Employment Tribunals in England and Wales, His Honour Judge Meeran and the President of the Employment Tribunals in Scotland, Mr. Colin Milne.
	The Chief Executive of the Employment Tribunals Service which provides administrative support for the Employment Tribunals is Dr. Roger Heathcote.

EU Committees

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list (a) the names, titles and grades of the officials who sit on the EU Technical Adaptation Committee on the introduction of measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health of workers at work, (b) the number of times, and the dates, on which it has met since January 2002, (c) the agenda items it has considered since January 2002, (d) the decisions it has made since January 2002 and (e) the means used to communicate the decisions to the House.

Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.
	European Council Directive 89/391/EEC 'on the introduction of measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health of workers at work', makes provisions for committees to work on
	"the purely technical adjustments to the individual Directives provided for in Article 16 (1) to take account of: the adoption of Directives in the field of technical harmonization and standardization; and/or technical progress, changes in international regulations or specifications, and new findings . . ."
	The UK representatives at such meetings would be drawn from staff with relevant technical and policy responsibilities within the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Since January 2002 HSE have received no invitations to such technical meetings; nor are HSE aware of any currently scheduled.

EU Funding

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much funding has been allocated to the UK through (a) Objective One and (b) Objective Two programmes in each of the last five years, broken down by (i) region and (ii) scheme.

Alan Johnson: Structural funds comprise the European regional development Fund (ERDF), the European social fund (ESF), and two smaller funds for agriculture (EAGGF) and fisheries (FIFO).
	The programmes are all multi-annual and some are multi-fund. The table sets out allocations by region and objective for the last two years of the 1994–99 programming period and the first three years of the 2000–06 period.
	There are many thousands of individual projects supported by the funds, and details of expenditure on individual schemes could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			   Allocations (£s Million) 
			 Region Objective 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
		
		
			 GO North West 1 108 117 113 116 118 
			  2 100 103 83 80 77 
			 GO South West 1 - - 42 43 44 
			  2 8 9 18 23 17 
			  5b(5) 28 29 - - - 
			 GO Yorkshire and Humberside 1 - - 100 102 104 
			  2 85 87 49 48 48 
			 GO East Midlands 2 23 24 36 35 35 
			  5b(5) 9 9 - - - 
			 GO West Midlands 2 102 106 84 82 80 
			  5b(5) 5 5 - - - 
			 GO East of England 2 - - 15 15 15 
			  5b(5) 8 8 - - - 
			 GO North East 2 82 85 64 65 65 
			 GO London 2 23 24 23 23 23 
			 GO South East 2 4 4 4 4 4 
			 Northern Uplands 5b(5) 14 14 - - - 
			 Highlands and Islands 1 41 44 - - - 
			  l(Trans) - - 54 46 38 
			 Eastern Scotland 2 31 32 29 27 25 
			 Western Scotland 2 71 73 52 49 47 
			 South Scotland 2 - - 6 7 7 
			 Borders of Scotland 5b(5) 4 4 - - - 
			 Dumfries and Galloway 5b(5) 6 6 - - - 
			 Central Scotland/Tayside 5b(5) 3 3 - - - 
			 Grampian 5b(5) 5 5 - - - 
			 Northern Ireland 1 163 176 - - - 
			  l(Trans) - - 156 132 108 
			 West Wales and the Valleys 1 - - 157 161 164 
			 East Wales 2 - - 14 13 12 
			 Industrial South Wales 2 49 51 - - - 
			 Rural Wales 5b(5) 24 24 - - - 
			 Gibraltar 2 1 1 1 1 1 
			 GB 3 315 517 See below See below See below 
			  4(6) 28 137 - - - 
			 England and Gibraltar 3 - - 349 357 364 
			 Scotland 3 - - 43 43 44 
			 Wales 3 - - 10 11 11 
		
	
	(5) Objective 5b was subsumed into Objective 2 for the 2000–06 programme period.
	(6) Objective 4 was subsumed into Objective 3.Allocations of structural funds by region and objective in UK.

EU Funding

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been distributed by (a) Government offices and (b) regional development agencies in EU Structural Funds to UK organisations in each of the last five years, broken down by region.

Alan Johnson: The Structural Funds are multi-annual and often multi-regional programmes. In England, the Regional Government Offices are responsible for the implementation of the funds. They provide the secretariats, which distribute the funds to all final beneficiaries, which include the Regional Development Agencies.
	Responsibility for the Structural Funds lies with the Welsh European Funding Office (WEFO) in Wales, the Scottish Executive in Scotland and the Department for Finance and Personnel in Northern Ireland.
	The relevant Structural Funds programmes cover the periods 1994–99 and 2000–06. The annual allocations were provided in my answer to the hon. Member's question no. 111804, which I have answered today.
	The distribution of funds allocated in the 1994–99 period continued in 2000 and 2001. The distribution of funds allocated for the 2000–06 period is still at an early stage. For these current programmes there is a requirement that each annual allocation is spent by the end of the second year following the year of allocation (the N+2 rule). This rule was tested for the first time for Objective 1 regions at the end of 2002, when all but a very small part of the 2000 allocations was fully spent. For the Objective 2 regions, 2003 will be the first year in which the rule applies and it is too early to say what levels of expenditure will be achieved.
	More detailed information about the distribution of funds in individual years could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Export Credits Guarantee Department

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many times a case has (a) been progressed and (b) approved under the ECGD's sensitive cases mechanism.

Patricia Hewitt: The information is as follows:
	(a) Of the high potential impact cases considered so far, six have been, or are being, progressed under the sensitive case mechanism
	(b) Two of these cases have so far been approved.

Export Credits Guarantee Department

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in how many high potential impact cases the Export Credits Guarantee Department has required (a) an environmental impact assessment, (b) a social impact assessment, (c) a resettlement action plan and (d) independent external advice or report.

Patricia Hewitt: (a) Environmental Impact Assessments have been required and received for nine high potential impact projects.
	(b) Social Impact Assessments have been required and received for three high potential impact projects.
	(c) Resettlement Action Plans have been required and received for three high potential impact projects.
	(d) Independent external advice has been engaged for four high potential impact projects.

Export Credits Guarantee Department

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in how many cases covenants and other conditions relating to post issue implementation have been included in an ECGD contract, project or investment; how many times relevant monitoring reports have indicated that remedial action is required; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: Covenants and conditions are regularly included in ECGD loan agreements and usually relate to financial or legal undertakings. Since the introduction of ECGD business principles in December 2000 covenants and conditions related to environmental or social impacts have been included in three issued guarantees. These guarantees have only been recently issued and no monitoring reports are due yet.

Export Credits Guarantee Department

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many applications identified as having high potential impact have been (a) submitted to the ECGD's Underwriting Committee and (b) approved by the ECGD.

Patricia Hewitt: Since the introduction of ECGD's Business Principles in December 2000, Underwriting Committee has considered nine high potential impact cases. For most of these cases either ECGD's assessment is still on-going or the case did not proceed (e.g. because the UK company did not win the contract).
	Two high potential impact cases have received final approval from the Underwriting Committee.

Export Credits Guarantee Department

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much of the renewable energy initiative of the ECGD has been allocated to projects; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: None of the support available under the renewable energy initiative has so far been allocated but three applications are currently outstanding.

Export Credits Guarantee Department

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 27 February 2003, Official Report, column 654W, on the renewable energy initiative of the ECGD, if she will make a statement on the initiative's minimum risk standards.

Patricia Hewitt: ECGD's minimum financial risk standards for renewable energy cases are the same as for the rest of the energy sector.

Export Credits Guarantee Department

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 27 February 2003, Official Report, column 654W, on the renewable energy initiative of the ECGD, which of the listed renewable energy technologies had applications which were considered to have (a) low potential impact, (b) medium potential impact and (c) high potential impact; and which applications were successful.

Patricia Hewitt: All of the cases referred to in the answer of 27 February have been classified as medium potential impact and all three are still outstanding.
	In addition to the technology being proposed, the potential impact classification depends on the project's location, scale and social and other impacts.

Export Licences

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what licences were granted for equipment on the military and dual lists to (a) Congo, (b) Benin, (c) Burkina Faso, (d) Burundi, (e) Cameroon, (f) Chad, (g) Comoros, (h) Central African Republic, (i) Cote d'Ivoire, (j) Ethiopia, (k) Gambia, (l) Ghana, (m) Guinea, (n) Kenya, (o) Madagascar, (p) Malawi, (q) Mali, (r) Mauritania, (s) Mozambique, (t) Niger, (u) Rwanda, (v) Senegal, (w) Tanzania, (x) Uganda, (y) Zambia, (z) Bolivia, (aa) Honduras, (bb) Nicaragua, (cc) Yemen, (dd) Laos, (ee) Myanmar and (ff) Vietnam, in each month since January 2002; what the military and dual use ratings were; and if she will make a statement.

Nigel Griffiths: The details of all export licences granted are published by destination in the Government's Annual Reports on Strategic Export Controls, copies of which are available from the Libraries of the House.

Export Licences

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what mechanisms are in place for independent assessment of the Government's exemptions to its export control policy.

Nigel Griffiths: I refer the right hon. and learned Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Hereford (Mr. Keetch) on 1 May 2003, Official Report, column 455W.

Export Licences

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her evidence before the Quadripartite Committee on 3 April, what assessment she has made of the problems with the end-use monitoring of arms licences in the United States of America, other than with enforcement; and if she will make a statement on the reasons underlying her assessment that the end-use monitoring of arms licences in the US is less effective than that proposed for the UK.

Nigel Griffiths: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry gave no assessment of the effectiveness of end-use monitoring of arms licences in the US in her evidence before the Quadripartite Committee on 3 April 2003.

Funeral Industry

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will refer the funeral director industry to the Office of Fair Trading to investigate charging policy.

Melanie Johnson: Under UK competition law, it is the responsibility of the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to investigate allegations of anti-competitive behaviour or possible abuses of a dominant position. The OFT published its latest report on the funeral industry on 27 July 2001 and recommended that consumers be given better information about prices and choices. The OFT has also named the industry as one of its priority sectors under its Consumer Codes Approval Scheme. The OFT is currently holding discussions regarding this scheme with a number of industry bodies. Under the Competition Act 1998, the OFT can act if pricing levels appear to be the result of anti-competitive practices. Anyone with evidence of such behaviour should forward that information to the OFT.
	The funeral services industry has a system of self regulation. The National Association of Funeral Directors, the Funeral Standards Council and the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors all have codes of practice that require funeral directors to provide a professional service and not to exploit consumers. The codes require members to make a basic funeral available with its price clearly indicated. Funeral directors have a duty to treat consumers fairly at what is a time of considerable emotional stress. Adherence to the Code is monitored by each of the respective trade associations.

Iraq (Reconstruction Contracts)

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to ensure that British companies have an equal opportunity to bid for contracts in the reconstruction of post-war Iraq.

Patricia Hewitt: We expect UK companies to make a significant contribution to the redevelopment of Iraq's essential infrastructure. At my request British Trade International have set up a working group of companies representing the main industrial sectors, chaired by a senior businessman, to advise on this. It is clearly important that there is a level playing field for all companies who are interested in contracts in Iraq. I have discussed this with the US authorities and have received positive feedback. When conditions allow, the working group will hope to visit Iraq.

Live Music Industry (Work Permits)

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what response she gave to the consultation on the proposal to charge for work permits, with particular reference to the impact on the live music industry in the UK.

Alan Johnson: The DTI, along with other Government Departments was sent details of the charging proposals as part of the formal consultation Work Permits United Kingdom (WPUK) conducted last year.
	The Department was in general supportive of the proposals. As far as I am aware no comments were made on the impacts these proposals might have on the live music industry.

National Insurance

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will estimate the cost in the (a) next 12 months and (b) last 12 months of employers' national insurance contributions to (i) her Department, (ii) Agencies of her Department, (iii) local government carrying out work within the remit of her Department, (iv) industry, (v) small business and (vi) self-employed people.

Patricia Hewitt: The estimated cost of employers' national insurance contributions in the next 12 months is £10,342,057 in my Department and £9,693,811 in my Agencies. For the last 12 months, the cost was £9,683,570 for my Department and £7,969,476 for my Agencies.
	My Department does not record employers' national insurance data in respect of local government, industry, small business and self-employed people.

National Minimum Wage

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the estimated total cost will be to businesses in the United Kingdom in 2003–04 of the increase in the national minimum wage.

Alan Johnson: The increase in the national minimum wage in October 2003 is estimated to cost businesses in the United Kingdom a total of between £180 and £400 million in 2003–04, assuming that the wages of the low paid would have increased in line with RPI inflation or earnings growth in the absence of an increase in the minimum wage.

North Sea Oil and Gas

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 29 April, Official Report, column 340W, on North Sea Oil and Gas, what constitutes the significant level of work which the Government has invested in reaching the targets listed; and what progress has been made towards each target.

Brian Wilson: PILOT—the joint industry/Government forum which seeks to increase the competitiveness of the UKCS, is due to publish its 2002 annual report at the end of May. This will describe PILOT's work in detail and will outline progress towards the 2010 targets for production, expenditure and employment. A copy will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Pharmacies

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to what extent the findings of her Department's review of the OFT Report recommendations on pharmacies will apply in Scotland.

Melanie Johnson: The regulations determining control of entry restrictions are devolved in Scotland and a matter for their Ministers. The Scottish Executive announced their response on 26 March to the OFT report regarding the current control arrangements for NHS pharmacy contracts.
	In relation to England, the Government will come forward with a balanced package of proposals for consultation before the summer recess.

Post Office Pin Pads

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what efforts are being made to ensure the Post Office pin pads to access benefit entitlement are user friendly for blind and partially sighted people; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The Post Office is working to ensure their services are as accessible to as many customers as possible. In the short term, the Post Office intends to improve current PIN pads by fitting a guard over the buttons to help guide customers. I understand this will be done as soon as possible. In the longer term, they intend to look at technological options to provide a secure alternative to PIN pads for people with disabilities. As this is a matter which falls within the day to day responsibility of Post Office Limited, I have asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to my hon. Friend.

Renewable Energy

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 29 April, Official Report, column 314W, on renewable energy, when the Transmission Issues Working Group report on the cost of connecting new renewable energy in Scotland will be published.

Brian Wilson: I plan to publish this report within the next week.

Staff Numbers

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many staff are employed by her Department.

Patricia Hewitt: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 24 April 2003, Official Report, column 110W.

Statutory Performance Benchmarks

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the impact of statutory performance benchmarks on the relative pay of women.

Patricia Hewitt: The gender pay gap is derived from mean hourly earnings (excluding overtime) for men and women. Women's hourly pay expressed as a percentage of men's hourly pay is what is generally referred to as the pay gap. ONS publish earnings figures from the New Earnings Survey (NES) annually which are the basis of government's gender pay gap figures.
	The following table gives figures for the mean full-time and part-time pay gap, and the median full-time pay gap for April 2002.
	
		
			  Men's hourly earnings (£) Women's hourly earnings (£) Women's earnings as a percentage of men's full-time earnings 
		
		
			 Full-time earnings (mean) 12.59 10.22 81.1 
			 Part-time (mean) (11.98) 7.42 58.9 
			 Full-time (median) 10.08 8.60 85.3 
		
	
	When median earnings are used to construct the gender pay gap, instead of the mean, it shows that in fact the full-time pay gap has narrowed over the last year, from 15.4 per cent. in April 2001 to 14.7 per cent. in April 2002—a fall of 0.7 percentage points.
	More information can be found in the WEU publication "The Gender Pay Gap" published in December 2001.

University Students

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many university students her Department and associated agencies have supported or sponsored with a work placement in the last year; what her policy is on work placements; what plans she has to develop such schemes; and what her policy is on paying their university fees.

Patricia Hewitt: My Department, excluding the agencies who are replying separately, has sponsored or supported 19 university students in the last year. A limited number of work placements are provided where suitable work and the necessary support by management are available. Local arrangements for placements are encouraged and the need for a centrally administered scheme is under review. At present, we do not pay university fees.
	Letter from Alison Brimelow to Mr. Allen, dated 12 May 2003
	The Patent Office has a bursary scheme that supports female students who want to make the transition from arts to science studies: it awarded four such bursaries to university students last year. Each bursary is worth £500 a year for the duration of the university course. A limited number of work placements are provided where suitable work and necessary support by management are available. The Patent Office currently has one university student on an unpaid work placement. At present, we do not pay any student university fees.
	Letter from Iain MacGregor to Mr. Allen, dated 12 May 2003
	The Secretary for Trade and Industry has asked me to reply on behalf of the National Weights and Measures Laboratory (NWML) to your question on how many university students her Department and associated agencies have supported or sponsored with a work placement in the last year; what her policy is on work placements; what plans she has to develop such schemes; and what her policy is on paying their university fees.
	In the past year, NWML has had two (2) work experience placements for students. We normally offer two per year. One person during summer vacation, which is a regular arrangement and for which we often advertise if we have not had any expressions of interest. The summer vacation placement receives a small salary. Plus another one at some other time of the year—this year it was January 2003—for a short 2-week unpaid (except for expenses) placement. These may not necessarily be university students as we sometimes take school students or those about to start university or college.
	This is currently the only sponsorship we offer at present, as we are a small Agency of only 57 staff and we do not have the capacity to support many work placements. For the same reasons, we do not currently offer to pay any university fees.
	Letter from Ms. R. J. R. Anderson to Mr. Allen, dated 12 May 2003,
	On 13 February 2003 you asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many university students her Department and associated agencies have supported or sponsored with a work placement in the last year; what her policy is on work placements; what plans she has to develop such schemes; and what her policy is on paying their university fees.
	In the academic year August 2001 to July 2002 the Radiocommunications Agency provided 7 university students with 50-week contracts to work in the Agency as part of their degree course. This is through an Agency managed scheme. The Radiocommunications Agency did not sponsor any students in the last year:- the Agency does not pay university fees.
	Letter from Roger Heathcote to Mr. Allen, dated 12 May 2003
	You tabled a question on 13 February to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry asking her how many university students her Department and associated agencies have supported or sponsored with a work placement in the last year; what her policy is on work placements; what plans she has to develop such schemes; and what her policy is on paying their university fees. I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Employment Tribunals Service, which is an agency of the DTI. I apologise for the delay in replying.
	The Employment Tribunals Service does have a policy to support its staff in undertaking further or higher education and is prepared to contribute to university fees where such study would both benefit the individual and the agency. In the last year one member of staff has been supported in undertaking a part-time university course. As far as work placements for university students are concerned, the agency has no specific policy.
	Letter from Claire Clancy to Mr. Allen, dated 12 May 2003
	I am responding to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on behalf of Companies House, which is an Executive Agency of the DTI.
	Companies House has not had any work placements of students within the last twelve months. We have however provided advice and information to students during the course of their studies, typically when completing dissertations or course work. These are not centrally administered, but the need to do so is under review. At present we do not pay university fees.
	Letter from Desmond Flynn to Mr. Allen, dated 12 May 1003
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply in relation to The Insolvency Service Executive Agency to your question (2002/1344) on university students who were supported or sponsored with a work placement during the year to 31 March.
	The Insolvency Service sponsored or supported no university students last year nor did it provide work placements. However for the current year The Insolvency Service is currently undertaking a recruitment campaign to fill three placements via the Civil Service Sandwich Placements scheme.

TREASURY

Family Tax Credits

Paul Burstow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many family tax credit claims were outstanding in each of the last 12 months.

Dawn Primarolo: For the cumulative number of claims for the child and working tax credits received in each month from August 2002 until February 2003, I refer the hon. Member to my answer to the hon. Member for Havant (Mr. Willetts) on 14 April 2003, Official Report, columns 546–47W. 3.9 million claims were received by 9 April and over 4 million have been received to date.

Family Tax Credits

David Lidington: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to pay interest on late payments of child tax credit in cases where the delay was the responsibility of his Department.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 28 April 2003
	Where the Inland Revenue were unable to deliver to tax credits claimants the level of service which might have been expected, I will consider what, if any, further action may be appropriate.

Debt Relief

Peter Pike: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to pursue reform of the heavily indebted poor countries—HIPC—initiative; with particular reference to the use of the debt to export ratio as a measure of debt sustainability; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: Within the enhanced HIPC initiative it is essential to have clear and transparent rules for the provision of debt relief, and the debt to export ratio is a useful indicator of debt sustainability. However, looking forward, after the provision of debt relief, such a broad measure may not always be appropriate in assessing country plans to finance their Poverty Reduction Strategies, and the associated level of borrowing. In particular the UK is concerned that enforcing the debt to export ratio could constrain the ability of some developing countries to access their allocation of concessional finance. The UK is working closely with the IMF and the World Bank to develop a more integrated approach to debt sustainability for financing poverty reduction. The Government acknowledges that debt relief is not a panacea for broader economic development challenges problems; even the provision of 100 per cent. debt relief to all low-income countries would still fall short of the resources needed to meet the Millennium Development Goals. That is why the Chancellor and the Secretary of State for International Development have proposed an International Finance Facility (IFF) that would seek to double the amount of development aid from just over $50 billion a year today to $100 billion per year in the years to 2015.

Debt Relief

Peter Pike: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the UK Government will support measures to tackle the shortfall in the HIPC Trust Fund at the forthcoming G8 summit; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: At the 2002 summit in Kananaskis the UK helped secure agreement from the G7 to fund the shortfall in the enhanced HIPC initiative, recognising that it could be up to US $1 billion. Ahead of the Annual Meetings of the IMF and World Bank in September 2002, the UK pledged its share of the $1 billion shortfall, $120million, to encourage other donors to make firm pledges. Donors have now made pledges totalling some $850m, and the 2003 Spring Meetings urged donors to translate these into concrete contributions in the coming months.
	At the forthcoming G8 summit the UK will push for a change in the rules of the enhanced HIPC initiative to exclude additional voluntary bilateral debt relief from the calculation of any additional debt relief or topping up at Completion Point. This measure could provide an estimated $1 billion extra debt relief to HIPCs.
	The Government acknowledges that debt relief is not a panacea for broader economic development challenges problems; even the provision of 100 per cent. debt relief to all low-income countries would still fall short of the resources needed to meet the Millennium Development Goals. That is why the Chancellor and the Secretary of State for International Development have proposed an International Finance Facility (IFF) that would seek to double the amount of development aid from just over $50 billion a year today to $100 billion per year in the years to 2015.

Euro

John Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the likely cost (a) for public funds and (b) to the public sector of changeover from the pound to the euro.

Ruth Kelly: Should the UK decide to join the euro, the cost to the public sector of conversion to the euro would depend on the detailed approach that the UK took to the changeover and the extent to which organisations are able to build in euro compatibility where IT systems are being upgraded or purchased for other reasons. The outline National Changeover Plans provide a planning framework. All stakeholders acknowledge that costs can be minimised through careful and early planning.

Income Tax (Overpayment)

Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average time taken by the Inland Revenue for repayment of income tax to taxpayers who have overpaid was in the last year for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue do not keep this information in respect of all cases where an overpayment might arise.
	In the year to April 2002, the Inland Revenue offices which specifically deal with claims for repayment of income tax made by individuals (that is, not claims contained within self-assessment tax returns or arising from overpayments of income tax under the PAYE scheme) dealt with 98.8 per cent. of claims within 20 working days. In the same year, other Inland Revenue tax offices also dealt with 82.98 per cent. of all post (which would have included repayment claims) within 15 working days.

Self-assessment

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the unit costs of (a) self-assessed taxpayers and (b) non self-assessed taxpayers were in the latest year for which data is available on a comparable basis to table 2 of Inland Revenue: The Government's expenditure plans 2000–01–2001–02, Cm 4617.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is as follows:
	Inland Revenue
	The data requested cannot be supplied on a comparable basis to table 2 referred to without incurring a disproportionate cost to the Department. That table reflected the direct costs associated with delivering SA and Non-SA work. There has subsequently been a change to a more comprehensive basis of costing this work—to include all associated costs of delivery. This gives a more accurate unit costing but one that cannot be compared on a like with like basis with the unit costs in table 2. Additionally, there have been changes to the Department's IT systems and the office structure within which this work is administered.
	Set out as follows are the unit costs of SA and Non SA work for 1999–2000 to 2001–02 on the 'all up' cost basis that is now used.
	
		
			  1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			 Non SA taxpayers (thousand) 26,675 26,010 26,600 
			 Costs (£ million) 485.6 694.3 741.6 
			 Cost per taxpayer (£) 18.20 26.69 27.88 
			 
			 SA taxpayers (thousand) 9,346 9,324 9,246 
			 Costs (£ million) 1,011.3 747.4 756.3 
			 Cost per taxpayer (£) 108.21 80.16 81.80

Tax Credit Helpline

Michael Howard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent on (a) setting up and (b) running the working tax credit and child tax credit helpline in each month since April 2002.

Dawn Primarolo: The full costs incurred on the provision of helplines for new tax credits in the year up to 31 March 2003 are estimated at £53 million. Of that figure, £29 million relates to setting up costs and £24 million to running costs, including salaries.

Tax Credits

Michael Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many advertisements the Inland Revenue have placed on (a) advertising poster sites in Worcestershire and (b) advertising poster sites on buses operating in Worcestershire to promote the take up of child tax credit and working tax credit.

John Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many advertisements the Inland Revenue have placed on (a) advertising poster sites in Buckinghamshire and (b) advertising poster sites on buses operating in Buckinghamshire to promote the take-up of (i) child tax credit and (ii) working tax credit.

Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue's national campaign to encourage take-up of child tax credit and working tax credit has used a variety of media, including television, radio, national press, magazines and the internet.
	The campaign has involved very limited advertising on outdoor poster sites and no advertising on buses, but posters have been displayed inside post offices and at other indoor locations.

Tax Credits

Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many successful child tax credit applications were received (a) before and (b) after 31 January; and how many of those who opted for (i) weekly payment and (ii) monthly payment are receiving their entitlement.

Dawn Primarolo: There is a single claim form for child tax credit and working tax credit. About 2.7 million claims were received by the end of January 2003, and over 4 million by 28 April.
	Around 3.2 million awards were in payment, or were set up for payment, by 28 April. About a third of all child tax credit claims processed so far have opted for weekly payment.

Tax Credits

Tom Cox: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking (a) to inform families of the introduction of the working families tax credit and how this benefit can be claimed and (b) to ensure that families entitled to claim the benefit do so; and what assessment he has made of the ease of completion of the application form.

Dawn Primarolo: The working tax credit and child tax credit were introduced on 6 April 2003. They replaced the working families' tax credit (WFTC), disabled person's tax credit and the children's tax credit.
	Over four million claims have already been received—half a million of them over the internet without the need for a paper claim. Around 3.2 million awards are already in payment or are set up for payment.
	To ensure awareness, the Inland Revenue has undertaken a high profile advertising campaign—which is continuing. The campaign has made clear that people can choose to claim either over the internet or on paper. For those claimants who do not claim on line, the single claim form for both credits is, at 12 pages, half the length of the WFTC form that it replaced.

Taxation

Michael Howard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what research he has commissioned into the relationship between taxation and (a) business competitiveness and (b) business productivity; and if he will publish the results.

John Healey: The Government is committed to developing the evidence base to help evaluate the effect of measures and inform future policies. Policy advice and development on tax measures are informed by in-house research and analysis, and in some cases, research commissioned externally. In addition to this, international comparisons allow the Government to identify areas where UK businesses lag behind their main competitors. This has prompted the development of targeted policies, often based on economic and statistical analysis of reforms in other countries.
	The most recent research published is into the Enterprise Investment Scheme and Venture Capital Trusts, which was published on 9 April 2003 on the Inland Revenue website. This research is wide ranging, looking at all aspects of the schemes, including their effects on the productivity and competitiveness of the relevant businesses.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Commemorative Plaques

Brian Mawhinney: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the average cost was of erecting a blue commemorative plaque in the last 12 months.

Kim Howells: The average cost to English Heritage of erecting a commemorative plaque in England under its Blue Plaque Scheme in the last 12 months was £1,107 (excluding the cost of research and administration by English Heritage staff).

Commemorative Plaques

Brian Mawhinney: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many blue commemorative plaques were erected in each of the last five years; and, for each year, what the cost was to public funds.

Kim Howells: The number and cost of the commemorative plaques erected in England by English Heritage under its Blue Plaque Scheme in the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			 Year Number of plaques Cost (£) 
		
		
			 1998–9 17 61,000 
			 1999–2000 18 74,000 
			 2000–1 27 84,000 
			 2001–2 18 86,000 
			 2002–3 22 92,000

Commemorative Plaques

Brian Mawhinney: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport who (a) sets the criteria of selection and (b) is responsible for the erection of blue commemorative plaques.

Kim Howells: English Heritage sets the selection criteria and is responsible for the erection of blue commemorative plaques in England under its National Blue Plaque Scheme, which so far has operated in Greater London, Merseyside, Birmingham, Portsmouth and Southampton, and is to be extended further. A number of local authorities and civic societies around the country operate separate schemes of their own.

Commemorative Plaques

Brian Mawhinney: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the policy and criteria are for the erection of blue plaques to commemorate distinguished citizens in their native localities.

Kim Howells: English Heritage inherited the Blue Plaque Scheme in Greater London from the former Greater London Council in 1986, and made it a National Blue Plaque Scheme for England in 1998. English Heritage has so far worked in partnership with local authorities in Merseyside, Birmingham, Portsmouth and Southampton, where it complements existing local initiatives. The selection criteria are published on English Heritage's website www.english-heritage.org.uk and I am arranging for copies to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Counselling Services

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what arrangements are made in her Department to allow staff to access counselling services.

Kim Howells: All staff in DCMS have direct access to counselling services provided by the ODPM Counselling and Support Service. It is an occupational service paid for by the Department. The counsellors are civil servants who are professionally trained in counselling skills and who have a knowledge and understanding of procedures and practice in DCMS. DCMS is committed to helping employees deal with concerns both inside and outside the workplace.

Criminal Offences

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list, broken down by Act, the criminal offences created in legislation sponsored by her Department since 1997.

Kim Howells: holding answer 8 May 2003
	The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has enacted two measures since 1997 which create new criminal offences. These are the Royal Parks (Trading) Act 2000 which created one offence and the Television Licences (Disclosure of Information) Act 2000 which created one offence.

EU Committees

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list (a) the names, titles and grades of the officials who sit on the EU committee on general authorisations and individual licences in the field of telecommunications services, (b) the number of times, and the dates, on which it has met since January 2002, (c) the agenda items it has considered since January 2002, (d) the decisions it has made since January 2002 and (e) the means used to communicate the decisions to the House.

Kim Howells: No officials from DCMS sit on this committee.

EU Committees

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the names, titles and grades of the officials who sit on the EU committee on the implementation of the multiannual community programme to stimulate the development and use of European digital content on the global networks and to promote linguistic diversity in the information society, the number of times and the dates on which it has met since January 2002, the agenda items it has considered since January 2002, the decisions it has made since January 2002 and the means used to communicate these decisions to the House.

Kim Howells: No officials from my Department sit on the eContent programme committee.

Hague Convention for the Protection ofCultural Property

Joyce Quin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on her policy with regard to UK participation in the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.

Tessa Jowell: We remain fully committed to the protection of cultural property in time of armed conflict in accordance with international law and, with other interested departments, are giving active consideration to the ratification of the 1954 Hague Convention.
	For information, I am arranging to place a statement in the Libraries of both Houses outlining what we are doing to protect Iraq's cultural heritage.

Honours

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many officials in her Department have received honours; and how many honours are held by her officials, broken down by category of honour.

Kim Howells: According to our records twelve members of staff currently working within DCMS and its agencies have received honours: one at CB, one at CBE, four at OBE, three at MBE, and three at MVO.
	We do not keep records of awards that are unrelated to official duties, nor those already held by staff before joining the Department, including those transferred under machinery of government moves. Consequently, data are not available on the number of awards held by individuals.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received from the All-Party Parliamentary Archaeological Group on the protection of archaeological artefacts in Iraq; and what steps she has taken to establish protection measures for Iraq's historical artefacts.

Tessa Jowell: The All-Party Parliamentary Archaeological Group have made representations to the Prime Minister and to Baroness Symons in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The Government is working with UNESCO, the US Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Affairs, the British Museum and other organisations and we have issued a statement on the steps that are being taken to establish protection measures for Iraq's cultural heritage. I am arranging for copies of this document to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Libraries

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many loans have been made from libraries in each year from 1996; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The numbers of issues per year (in thousands) for the period 1995–96 to 2000–01 by UK libraries are contained in Table 4, "Stocks and Issues", within the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy's (CIPFA's) Public Library Statistics 2000–01 Actuals volume.
	The number of issues by English library authorities solely may be deduced by looking at the "Annual Issues" tables in the CIPFA editions for those years.
	The House of Commons Library has copies of all of the volumes in question.

Libraries

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many visits have been made to libraries in each year since 1996; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The number of visits to library premises for 1995–96 and 1996–97 are contained in the "Miscellaneous Tables" within the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy's (CIPFA's) Public Library Statistics Actuals volume for those years and, subsequently, in that publication's "Library Users" tables for the period 1997–98 to 2000–01.
	The House of Commons Library has copies of all the editions in question.

Libraries

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many qualified librarians have been employed in libraries in each year since 1996; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The numbers of full time equivalent professional staff employed by UK library authorities for the period 1995–96 to 2000–01 may be found in Table 2, "Staff Establishment", within the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy's (CIPFA's) Public Library Statistics 2000–01 Actuals volume.
	The number of professional posts within English library authorities solely may be deduced by looking at the "Staff in Post and Establishment" tables in the CIPFA editions for those years.
	The House of Commons Library has copies of all of the volumes in question.

Mental Health

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many of her staff retired on medical grounds due to mental health problems in the last year.

Kim Howells: No staff in DCMS retired on medical grounds due to mental health problems in the last year.

Mental Health

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  how many sick days were lost over the last year by her Department through staff mental health problems;
	(2)  how many of her staff have taken sick leave due to mental health problems in the last year.

Kim Howells: Cabinet Office publishes an annual report "Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service". The statistics show reasons for absence including mental disorders. The most recently published figures for the calendar year 2001 were announced by Ministerial Statement on 19 December 2002, and copies placed in the Libraries of the House. The sickness absence figures for 2002 will be announced in due course.
	DCMS is committed to managing sickness absence effectively, and in meeting the 2003 target for reduced sickness absence as set out in the Service Delivery Agreements (SDA).

Millennium Commission

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  how much the Millennium Commission has spent on consultancy fees, broken down by areas of expertise that consultants provided;
	(2)  if she will list the Millennium Landmark projects which have received revenue support from the Millennium Commission, showing the cost and time commitment involved;
	(3)  if she will list the variations in the Millennium Landmark projects from their original agreements with the Millennium Commission;
	(4)  if she will list the Millennium Landmark projects indicating the estimate of the (a) costs of completion and (b) initial forecasted costs;
	(5)  if she will make a statement on the cost of the administration of the Millennium Commission since its establishment; and which budgets have provided the money;
	(6)  if she will list the Millennium Landmark projects indicating the expected completion dates and the initial forecasted completion dates;
	(7)  if she will list the Millennium Landmark projects which have received public money other than from the Millennium Commission, broken down by (a) amount and (b) funding organisation.

Tessa Jowell: I will write to the hon. Member in my capacity as Chair of the Millennium Commission, and place copies of my reply in the Libraries of both Houses.

Running

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what guidance is given to communities to encourage children to take up running competitively.

Richard Caborn: One of this Department's key objectives is to increase participation in all sports, including running, and through Sport England and UK Sport, the national governing bodies of sport are funded directly to help achieve this objective. UK Athletics in conjunction with its home country partners has developed a number of grass roots initiatives that support and encourage individuals to become involved in athletics. The schemes take place within schools, communities, and athletics club environments. Such schemes include the Norwich Union 'star:track', 'sports:hall', and 'shine:awards', which are designed for young people aged three upwards. UK Athletics also supports athletics clubs through its 'clubs:future' programme.
	In addition Lottery funding worth over £1.39 billion has been provided since 1995 for community sports projects across England, many of which have facilities for athletics.

Sports Participation

Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people her Department estimates participate in (a) angling and (b) canoeing on average each year.

Richard Caborn: Sport England estimate that three million people participate in angling, and that two million people participate in canoeing in the United Kingdom on average each year.

DEFENCE

Defence Equipment

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what conclusions he has drawn from the Gulf conflict in respect of equipment supply.

Adam Ingram: The deployment of 45,000 personnel and their equipment over such a long distance and in such a short time represents a remarkable achievement and one of which all those in the logistic chain can be proud.
	As with all exercises and operations, we are in the process of identifying lessons from operations in Iraq. This work will be published in due course, subject to the usual constraints on force protection and security. It would therefore be inappropriate for me to draw any conclusions at this stage in the process.

Service Personnel (Gulf)

Ivan Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of logistic support to sustain British forces in the Gulf region.

Adam Ingram: The logistic support to our forces in the Gulf has been a remarkable achievement. An assessment of the effectiveness of support to Operation TELIC will be made as part of the normal process of identifying lessons from our deployments. We do, of course, keep the sustainment of on-going operations under constant review and I am confident that this will ensure that forces still in the Gulf will continue to receive an appropriate level of support.

Service Personnel (Gulf)

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to investigate complaints about the quality of clothing and other equipment supplied to members of HM armed forces serving in the Gulf.

Adam Ingram: As recent operations in Iraq have demonstrated our armed forces are among the best equipped in the world. I can tell the House the reports from theatre indicate that equipment performance overall has been generally impressive. However, we do take any reported defects very seriously. An assessment of the performance of equipment deployed on operations in the Gulf, including clothing and personal equipment, will be undertaken as part of the usual process of identifying lessons from our deployments.

Service Personnel (Gulf)

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures he is taking in support of widows and partners of Service personnel who died in the Gulf conflict.

Lewis Moonie: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Members for Newark (Patrick Mercer) and for Bexhill and Battle (Gregory Barker).

Iraq

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to replace assets used or lost in the Iraq conflict.

Adam Ingram: We are gathering evidence and assessing the lessons emerging from the Iraq conflict so that realistic decisions can be made on whether the equipment and logistical stocks lost or used will, or will not, be replaced.

Iraq

Andrew MacKay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.

Geoff Hoon: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Leominster (Mr. Wiggin) and the hon. Member for Romford (Mr. Rosindell).

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the contract journalists embedded with British forces involved in the invasion of Iraq were required to sign in advance of their placements.

Lewis Moonie: Journalists embedded with British forces serving in Iraq were not required to sign a contract as such. They were, however, required to sign a copy of Annexes B to E of the Green Book—"Working Arrangements with the Media during times of Emergency, Tension, Conflict or War". A copy of this book, with the relevant Annexes, is accessible on the MOD website, at www.mod.uk/news/green book/foreword.htm

Iraq

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what services are available for the support of members of the armed forces as they return home from Iraq.

Lewis Moonie: All personnel returning from Operation TELIC, whether Regulars or Reservists, will be provided with appropriate support measures acknowledging that each individual's experience of the conflict will be different. The procedures will vary slightly between each Service according to need, but are essentially similar and delivered in three stages: recovery, normalisation and after care. Each stage has support services ranging from medical screening and de-briefings to post-operational tour leave. For example, building on lessons from earlier conflicts, personnel from 3 Commando Brigade will have a period of two weeks in their barracks, with night leave, to allow additional time to 'decompress' and normalise while fulfilling equipment maintenance tasks. At all stages of the process, personnel have access to Sendee welfare specialists when required including medical officers, chaplains and also representatives from external bodies such as SSAFA-Forces Help.
	Procedures are in place to ensure that personnel do not miss end-of-deployment medical briefings given in theatre enabling data to be extracted for clinical audit and post-deployment health surveillance purposes. Measures are also in place to raise awareness of PTSD and other stress-related disorders which may occur among Service personnel.
	Commanders have been made aware of such vital issues as combat stress indicators, the difficulties surrounding the return of personnel and re-union with their loved ones, and the effect that the deployment may have had on their children. Two Leaflets—"Coming Home" and "Dealing with Traumatic Experiences"—are handed to all personnel leaving the operational area. In addition, leaflets are sent to families to alert them to the possible after-effects of the operational deployment including special booklets and advice for children.
	Each person will have the opportunity to be properly de-briefed by personnel within the command chain. This commitment to after care is enduring, recognising that the needs of individuals change in the longer term.
	I also refer the hon. Member to my written ministerial statement on 7 May 2003, Official Report, column 34WS on the decision to conduct research into the physical and psychological health of those involved in the conflict.

Iraq

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the planned work of the War Graves Commission in Iraq.

Lewis Moonie: Subject to the continuing improvement in the overall security environment, Commonwealth War Graves Commission staff are scheduled to arrive in Iraq on 23 June 2003, when they will begin their work to restore the cemeteries and memorials to the 54,000 Commonwealth Servicemen who are buried in the 13 cemeteries throughout Iraq.

Afghanistan

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the military situation in Afghanistan.

Adam Ingram: The military situation in Afghanistan continues to evolve. The effectiveness of the International Security Assistance Force in Kabul is well established and there are encouraging signs of greater stability in many of the Afghan regions. The three Provincial Reconstruction Teams already in place are building on that stability, as will the Team the United Kingdom will lead in Mazar-e Sharif. Even so, terrorist remnants still pose a danger in some areas. Afghan and coalition forces are cooperating to end that threat.

Accommodation

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  of the total available stock of MOD accommodation units in each of the six districts of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, (a) how many and what proportion are within a restricted military base, and how many of those are empty, and (b) how many are situated within the civilian community and how many of those are empty;
	(2)  how many (a) MOD-owned and (b) long-term leased accommodation units there are in each of the six districts of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly;
	(3)  how many and what proportion of his Department's accommodation units situated within civilian areas in Kerrier district have been empty in each of the last five years for which records are available; and of these, how many were in the St. Ives constituency.

Lewis Moonie: All Service family housing in Cornwall is owned by Annington Homes Ltd. and managed and maintained, under a lease-back agreement, by the Ministry of Defence's Defence Housing Executive (DHE) Agency.
	The number of Service family housing units in Cornwall and the number empty, by constituency, is shown in the table. Only seven properties in Cornwall are located within a military base (RAF St. Mawgan), and they are all occupied.
	
		
			 Constituency Locations Total properties Vacant properties 
		
		
			 St. Ives Helston (Culdrose) 293 41 
			 Falmouth and Cambourne Falmouth/Redruth 52 2 
			 Truro and St. Austell  0 — 
			 Cornwall North Newquay/St. Mawgan/St. Eval 368 46 
			 Cornwall South East Saltash 102 14 
			 Scilly Isles  0 — 
			 Totals in Cornwall  815 (7)103 
		
	
	(7) Of the vacant properties:
	some 50 are either under offer or allocated and awaiting incoming families;
	29 are identified for disposal during this financial year; and
	20 are held against known future deployments.
	The remainder are available for occupation.
	There are 333 properties within the Kerrier district council boundaries, of which 293 are located in the St. Ives constituency. 43 properties are currently vacant, of which 41 are in the St. Ives constituency, including those held against future deployment. Historic data for district council areas is not held, but our available records for Cornwall as a whole over the last three years show that the number of vacancies has not changed substantially.

Aircraft Carriers

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his latest estimate is for the in-service dates for each of the proposed new aircraft carriers.

Adam Ingram: Our target in-service dates for the two new aircraft carriers are 2012 and 2015. Estimates for their delivery are being developed progressively this year during the remainder of the assessment phase by the CVF Alliance of BAE Systems, Thales UK and the Ministry of Defence, taking account of the maturing carrier design. The expected in service dates will be confirmed next spring when we place the contract for the demonstration and manufacture of the carriers.

Army Exercises

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what mechanisms are in place to monitor the process of applying lessons learned from past army exercises to future activities; and who is responsible for ensuring such processes take place;
	(2)  who is responsible within his Department for the planning and execution of army exercises; and what procedures are in place to assess their performance and that of their subordinates.

Adam Ingram: There is a robust system in place to ensure that appropriate training is undertaken by the Army, and that relevant lessons are learned from exercises. Ultimately the responsibility for the planning and execution of Army exercises lies with Headquarters Land Command. The exercise programme is disseminated through the Land Command Collective Training Programme, which is designed to ensure that the right number of troops achieve the right level of readiness, in line with the Formation Readiness Cycle.
	Individual exercises are planned against the 'Mission Essential Tasks List' (METL) that each unit is asked to undertake. The specific manner in which these METLs are met is a decision for the Chain of Command to take, at the appropriate level dependent on the size of the exercise. Headquarters Land Command undertakes the formulation of the METL, through a consultation process with the relevant Chain of Command. The procedure for assessing the individual performances of the personnel involved in the planning and execution of exercises, and that of their subordinates, is through the annual appraisal system, which is informed by an "After Action Review" conducted immediately at the end of each exercise.
	Following soon after the completion of each exercise a Post Exercise Report is produced examining the success of the exercise against its aims. This not only enables the Chain of Command to assess the Collective Performance of the units/formations involved, but also provides an avenue for feedback, which allows the Army to learn appropriate lessons. The Land Warfare Centre's Mission Support Group, which is part of Land Command, is responsible for the effective collation and dissemination of lessons learned from past Army exercises.
	Throughout the year, all collective training establishments systematically analyse the performance of all unit, battlegroup and brigade level exercises. These observations are then used to inform Land Command's lines of development, such as concepts and doctrine, sustainability, structures, training development, equipment and technology and people.
	In addition, the Mission Support Group issues 'Observations from Training' (OFT), a collation of the lessons learnt from the exercises undertaken in the preceding year. The OFT seek to identify trends and general observations from training. It is the responsibility of the Chain of Command to ensure that the OFT receives widespread distribution, and that the lessons learned inform future training and operations.

Challenger Tank

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the performance of Challenger 2 tanks in the desert conditions of southern Iraq in 2003.

Adam Ingram: Post operational reporting will provide analysis and an assessment of the performance of equipment deployed on operations in Iraq. It would, therefore, be premature for me to provide a detailed assessment. Early indications are, however, that the Challenger 2 tanks performed very well.

Chinook Helicopters

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the position regarding the possible sale to the US of the Chinook HC3 helicopters originally ordered for the RAF.

Adam Ingram: An approach was received from the United States last year about the possible purchase of the Chinook Mk3, with the United Kingdom in turn purchasing the MH47G. While informal discussions took place with the DoD, no formal approach has been received.

Chinook Helicopters

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of the Chinook HC3 helicopters ordered for the RAF (a) were delivered to the UK and (b) are flying in the UK.

Adam Ingram: Of the eight Chinook Mk3 aircraft ordered for the RAF, seven were delivered to the United Kingdom during the period of July 2001 to May 2002. The remaining aircraft has been retained at Boeing Helicopters in Philadelphia, USA in support of a UK Chinook capability enhancement programme.
	Two of the Chinook Mk3s are flying in the UK as part of the Military Aircraft Release (MAR) Trials, another is currently being utilised at RAF Odiham for ground training.
	The remaining four in-country aircraft are awaiting the issue of MAR recommendations and a Release to Service.

Depleted Uranium

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what response his Department will be making to the recent recommendations by the United Nations Environment Programme that guidelines be distributed immediately to military and civilian personnel, and to the general public, on how to minimize the risk of accidental exposure to depleted uranium.

Lewis Moonie: The Ministry of Defence welcomes the "Desk Study on Iraq" from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). In support of the UNEP work, MOD agrees that information should be released on how much depleted uranium (DU) has been used in the Iraq conflict and where. NATO provided information following use of DU in the Balkans conflict and the United Kingdom will do so for DU it has fired in its area of operations in Iraq.
	The MOD has already issued appropriate safety instructions to those UK troops who have been deployed to the Gulf. These safety instructions make clear that the risks from DU are far lower than those from other hazards arising from military operations and that combat and life-saving activities should never be delayed on account of concern over DU. The emphasis is on avoiding situations where DU dust may be encountered and on wearing appropriate respiratory protective equipment and protective clothing when it is necessary to enter potentially contaminated areas.
	DU particulate remains highly localised to the points of impact where DU munitions have struck hard targets: only in these small areas would DU levels be significant enough to necessitate precautions to prevent or reduce possible intakes. Increasing amounts of independent research by eminent scientists within groups such as the Royal Society DU Working Group and the United Nations Environment Programme support this view. As many defeated tanks as possible within the British area of operations are being cordoned off and kept undisturbed, until it is possible to send scientists to examine them.

Firefighters' Dispute

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many naval personnel man-hours have been expended as a result of the firefighters' dispute; and what the estimated cost has been to the Royal Navy.

Adam Ingram: A complete answer will not be available until the military commitment to the firefighters' dispute has ceased. To date, we estimate that more than 6.4 million hours have been spent in directly providing and training for life-saving cover, with estimated materiel costs approaching £5 million.

Firefighters' Dispute

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Royal Navy vessels are unavailable for deployment as a result of the firefighters' dispute; and what plans there are to relieve their crews.

Adam Ingram: The following vessels have the majority of their crews currently allocated to provide cover in the event of a firefighters strike. This will prevent the vessels from deploying to previously programmed tasks until their crews are relieved or their employment on emergency fire cover is no longer required.
	HMS Cambeltown
	HMS Norfolk
	HMS St. Albans
	HMS Lancaster
	HMS Portland
	HMS Monmouth
	HMS Newcastle
	HMS Exeter (in dry dock for maintenance)
	HMS Glasgow
	HMS Middleton
	HMS Bridport
	HMS Dulverton
	We are exploring options to relieve some crews in the event that the firefighters' dispute continues.

Firefighters' Dispute

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the impact of the firefighters' dispute upon (a) the operational capability and (b) the morale of the Royal Navy.

Adam Ingram: Operational Capability of individual ships, air squadrons and Commando Force Elements is assessed monthly. Currently, a number of ships are undermanned because of the Royal Navy's commitments to fire-fighting duties, although operational capability is being substantially maintained. The operational capability of air squadrons and Commando forces is not significantly affected.
	Firefighting commitments have affected the employment stability and personal plans of many of those involved, with inevitable consequences for morale in the short term. The effect in the longer term will depend upon the success of measures we have in place, for example, to restore the balance of separated service and recover missed training courses affecting career progression.

Mount Pleasant Military Base

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the security vetting procedures are for non-UK and overseas territories citizens working at the Mount Pleasant military base in the Falkland Islands; and what the policy is on employing non-UK and overseas territories citizens on MoD contracts in the Falklands Islands.

Adam Ingram: The security procedures for employing non-United Kingdom and overseas territories citizens at the Mount Pleasant military base in the Falkland Islands are the same as those that apply to Ministry of Defence posts elsewhere in the world. These involve a check of personal details, including any criminal convictions, and a counter-terrorist check. Subject to these procedures being completed satisfactorily, responsibility for the employment of non-UK and overseas territories citizens in the Falkland Islands is a matter for the employing contractor.

Official History (Second Gulf War)

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to publish an official account of the role of (a) the Royal Navy, (b) the Royal Marines and (c) the Royal Fleet Auxiliary in the second Gulf war.

Adam Ingram: As with previous major operations, the Ministry of Defence will in due course publish an official account of the United Kingdom involvement in current operations in the Gulf, including the roles played by the Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Final details have yet to be decided.

Parliamentary Questions

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will reply to question number 93595, Session 2002–03, tabled for answer on 27 January.

Adam Ingram: I have replied to my hon. Friend today.

Procurement

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the progress of the procurement of the (a) aircraft carriers, (b) type 45 destroyer, (c) amphibious assault vessels and (d) heavy sealift ships; whether they are on schedule; and whether changes have been made to their capabilities.

Adam Ingram: The information requested is as follows:
	Future Aircraft Carrier CVF
	Design activity on the Future Aircraft Carrier programme is continuing in parallel with our discussions with BAE Systems and Thales to determine the structure of the alliance for the programme. We expect to be in a position to formally commence the next phase of the assessment work shortly. Subject to the normal internal approvals we remain on course to award the main design and build contract for the carriers in spring 2004.
	The capability required for the carriers will not be formally approved until the award of the design and build contract. Up to that point the CVF user requirements are performance targets to focus the assessment phase work of the contractors.
	Type 45
	The Type 45 Destroyer programme remains on track to meet the approved in service date of November 2007.
	The baseline capability of the Type 45 has not changed since the main investment decision was made in July 2000. However, work continues on an Incremental Acquisition Plan (IAP) which will increase class capability as funding becomes available, technology develops and the requirement emerges. The first example of the successful implementation of the IAP is the inclusion of the Ultra MFS 7000 Sonar in the First of Class onward. At the time of the original approval it was envisaged that sonar would be fitted at build to Batch 2 (Hull 04 onwards) and that this capability would be retrofitted in the earlier vessels.
	Amphibious assault vessels
	Landing Ships Dock (Auxiliary)—construction of the first of the Bay Class Landing Ships Dock (Auxiliary), RFA Largs Bay is progressing satisfactorily, with the vessel programmed to complete in March 2004 although the shipyard have expectations to deliver earlier. She will then undergo a series of sea trials prior to acceptance into service in autumn 2004. Construction of the remaining three vessels is planned to complete during 2004 and 2005, followed by sea trials and acceptance into service. All four vessels are expected to meet their planned in service dates and there have been no changes to their planned capabilities.
	Landing Platform Dock (Replacement) programme—the Landing Platform Dock (Replacement) programme will provide two vessels for the Royal Navy, HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark. HMS Albion is nearing completion and is expected to achieve her currently planned in service date (ISD) of My 2003. Discussions continue with the prime contractor, BAE Systems, on agreeing a revised programme for HMS Bulwark. The ISDs originally planned were March 2002 for HMS Albion and March 2003 for HMS Bulwark. There have been no changes to their capability. Heavy Sealift ships
	With the delivery of the sixth ship to AWSR Shipping Ltd. on 17 April 2003, the full Roll-On Roll-Off Strategic Sealift Service, being provided under Private Finance Initiative arrangements, became available. This is 20 months earlier than the target date set by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Dr. Moonie) at the start of the competition and meets the date given by my on 6 March 2002, Official Report, column 326W. There has been no change to the capability.

Meteorological Office

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress the Meteorological Office has made with its programme of upgrades to radar sites.

Lewis Moonie: The Met Office has carried out all the upgrades that were announced in its Scientific and Technical review 2001–02. These have been implemented throughout the United Kingdom radar network sites and are already delivering the expected benefits in terms of operational reliability and efficiency.
	In addition, the Met Office now has plans for some further improvements to follow on from the upgrades mentioned above. These include improving the data retrieval techniques and improved data handling. This will result in increased accuracy and reduction in false alarms. Multiple beam operations will be introduced, which will allow the Met Office to more reliably detect weather systems, despite the interruption caused by, for example, mountains blocking the path of the radar beam.
	The Met Office are also working closely with the Environment Agency to determine the technology that might be employed for the next generation of weather radars. There are opportunities to employ new techniques that can potentially identify both the quantity and the type of precipitation, which will lead to further improvements in accuracy in forecasting potential floods and other consequences of severe weather.

Meteorological Office

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Meteorological Office intends to establish a new weather radar station to serve the south-east of Scotland and north-west of Scotland areas.

Lewis Moonie: Current weather radar coverage in Scotland is provided by three radars, one situated just south of Glasgow, one near Aberdeen and one on the Isle of Lewis.
	The Met Office is in discussion with the Scottish Executive and a windfarm developer over plans to site a windfarm around the Glasgow radar. Were the windfarm to go ahead it would unacceptably compromise the performance of the radar and negate its contribution to the severe weather service for Scotland. A potential solution being considered includes removal of the current Glasgow radar installation and the construction of two new radar sites to maintain coverage of the south-east of Scotland area.

Secondments

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many civil servants have been seconded from his Department to (a) the private sector, (b) NGOs and (c) other, broken down by (i) grade of civil servants seconded, (ii) location and (iii) dates of secondments, in each year since 1997–98.

Lewis Moonie: Information available on personnel seconded from my Department is as follows:
	
		Outward secondments financial year 1997–98
		
			 Band/Grade Parent company or organisation Secondment location(where known) Start date End date 
		
		
			 B2 Babtie Group Scotland April 1997 October 1998 
			 SCS GEC Marine North West June 1997 June 1998 
			 B1 AWE plc South November 1997 November 1999 
			 C1 Centre for Defence Studies London May 1997 November 1999 
			 B2 Northern Development Company North East July 1997 July 2000 
			 C2 (IT) Bull Information Systems West September 1997 September 2000 
			 CO2 Bull Information Systems West September 1997 September 2000 
			 CO2 Bull Information Systems West September 1997 September 2000 
			 C2(IT) Bull information Systems West September 1997 — 
			 CO3 Bull Information Systems West September 1997 — 
			 B2 Horizon IJVC Ltd./VSEL London September 1997 September 1999 
			 SCS Thompson Marconi Sonar West November 1997 November 1999 
			 B2 Northern Development Company North East September 1997 On-going 
			 D (Temp) Opps. for People with Disabilities West October 1997 April 1999 
			 COS Bull Information Systems West October 1997 October 2000 
			 D(IT) PSYBT Scotland October 1997 October 1999 
			 B (Temp) Business in the Community (Opps2000) London October 1997 February 2000 
			 C1 (IT) British Airways London December 1997 March 2000 
			 C1 Thompson Marconi Sonar South December 1997 December 1999 
			 B2 BAES South March 1998 May 2000 
			 B1 Rolls Royce & Assoc West March 1998 March 2000 
			 B2 Prince's Youth Business Trust South November 1997 November 2000 
			 C2 PSYBT Scotland November 1997 November 1997 
		
	
	
		1998–99
		
			 Band/Grade Parent company or organisation Secondment location(where known) Start date End date 
		
		
			 B1 Rolls Royce & Assoc West April 1998 April 2000 
			 C1 Bristol & Avon Enterprise Agency West April 1998 April 2001 
			 C2 (P/T) PYBT South January 1999 October 1999 
			 B2 Close Brothers London January 1999 March 2001 
			 C1 QinetiQ South May 1998 June 2002 
			 SCS (Temp) Vauxhall Motors — June 1998 March 2000 
			 SCS (Temp) GEC Marconi — June 1998 May 2000 
			 C1 GEC Marconi — August 1998 July 2000 
			 C2 EMS — August 1998 December 2001 
			 D BAES South September 1998 September 2000 
			 SCS (Temp) Barr and Stroud — October 1998 October 2000 
			 C1 Lockheed March tin — October 1998 February 2002 
			 D Royal Liverpool University Hospitals North West November 1998 August 1999 
			 C2 DIC London December 1998 December 1999 
			 C2 DML Royal Dockyard — January 1999 May 2000 
			 SCS Marconi Electronic Systems South East March 1999 June 2000 
			 C1 Employment Opportunities — August 1998 August 2001 
			 SCS Business in the Community — September 1998 March 2002 
			 CMP Warwick Health Authority Midlands February 1999 August 1999 
		
	
	
		Outward secondments financial year 1999–2000
		
			 Band/Grade Parent company or organisation Secondment location(where known) Start date End date 
		
		
			 SCS Thomson CSF South East April 1999 April 2002 
			 B1 BAE Systems South East May 1999 June 2003 
			 C2 Business Enterprise Scotland — June 1999 On-going 
			 D BAE Systems South July 1999 December 2002 
			 SCS GEC Marconi — July 1999 July 2001 
			 SCS Northrop Gruman USA October 1999 March 2001 
			 SCS Raytheon Systems Co USA October 1999 October 2002 
			 C1 Renishaws — November 1999 February 2003 
			 C2 BAE — January 2000 January 2002 
			 C2 BAE — January 2000 January 2001 
			 Bl Price Waterhouse Coopers London February 2000 April 2001 
			 C2 (Temp) Bromley by Bow Centre London May 1999 May 2002 
			 C2 Employment Opportunities London May 1999 August 200l 
			 C2 Business Enterprise Scotland Scotland June 1999 May 2001 
			 C2 Business in the Community East July 1999 June 2001 
			 D Employment Opportunities for People with Disabilities West August 1999 March 2001 
			 D Employment Opportunities for People with Disabilities  August 1999 June 2002 
			 SCS Worldaware London December 1999 December 2001 
			 C1 (Temp) The Prince's Trust London February 2000 February 2002 
			 B2 Employment Opportunities Bath March 2000 March 2002 
			 B2 Bromley by Bow London May 1999 May 2003 
			 El TUC NW England June 1999 June 2000 
		
	
	
		2000–01
		
			 Band/Grade Parent company or organisation Secondment location(where known) Start date End date 
		
		
			 C2 Crime Concern London April 2000 April 2002 
			 SCS Thompson-CSF Plc London May 2000 May 2002 
			 D GSE Improvement Engineer Bristol June 2000 August 2001 
			 C2 The Prince's Trust West July 2000 March 2003 
			 B1 Wiltshire CC — July 2000 May 2001 
			 COS Defence Industry Council London September 2000 December 2000 
			 B2 Matra BAE Dynamics — October 2000 October 2002 
			 El TUC North West October 2000 October 2001 
			 B2 WS Atkins PLC — January 2001 January 2004 
			 D PSYBT Scotland December 2000 December 2002 
			 FSO SERCO North East October 2000 April 2001 
			 C2 Business in the Community London November 2000 July 200l 
			 C2/Lecturer Employment Opportunities South January 2001 March 2003 
			 C1 GEC Marconi — February 200l January 2002 
			 El EMS — February 200l February 2004 
			 B1 BAE Systems — March 2001 March 2002 
			 C1 Renishaws — March 2001 February 2002 
			 C1 Renishaws — March 2001 February 2002 
			 C1 ACIS — March 2001 March 2004 
			 C2 Haslar QinetiQ — March 2001 March 2003 
			 D EMS — March 2001 March 2004 
			 B2/7 Crime Concern Swindon April 2000 June 2001 
			 D C2 wef Nov 2000 PSYBT Scotland June 2000 June 2002 
			 C1 Business in the Community London July 2000 On-going 
			 C1 Crime Concern — February 2001 April 2002 
			 C1 The Prince's Trust — March 2001 On-going 
			 C1 The Prince's Trust — September 2000 March 2002 
			 Snr Lec UCL London September 2000 September 2002 
		
	
	
		2001–02
		
			 Band/Grade Parent company or organisation Secondment location(where known) Start date End date 
		
		
			 SCS Electronic Data Systems Ltd. London April 2001 April 2003 
			 B2 BAE Airbus UK — April 2001 April 2003 
			 FSO SERCO NE England April 2001 September 200l 
			 C1 Brave Enterprise Agency — April 2001 On-going 
			 C1 BAE Systems Farnborough May 2001 May 2003 
			 C1 Renishaws — May 2001 February 2002 
			 C1 ESRI(UK) Aylesbury June 2001 June 2002 
			 D BMT — June 2001 June 2002 
			 D Royal & Sun Alliance SE England September 2001 March 2002 
			 B2 BMT — October 2001 October 2004 
			 C1 BAE Systems — October 2001 October 2003 
			 El DML — October 2001 October 2003 
			 C1 Defence Industries — October 2001 September 2002 
			 B1 Eurofighter — December 2001 December 2004 
			 C2 EMS — December 2001 December 2004 
			 C1 Amey Rail Bristol February 2002 February 2003 
			 D BAE Systems — February 2002 June 2002 
			 Brigadier General Dynamics — March 2002 March 2004 
			 C1 Princes Trust South East March 2002 March 2003 
			 SCS Thales Underwater Systems France March 2002 March 04 
			 B2 Age Concern Somerset July 2001 July 2003 
			 C2 (Temp) Employment Opportunities London August 2001 August 2003 
			 C2 (Temp) Employment Opportunities London September 2001 May 2003 
			 B1 The Prince's Trust SE England October 2001 October 2003 
			 C2 Business in the Community — November 2001 November 2003 
			 SCS PSYBT Glasgow January 2002 January 2004 
			 Cl Youth Sports Assoc Leicester May 2001 May 2003 
			 C2 Surrey Hampshire Borders NHS Trust Farnham May 2001 March 2002 
			 Lecturer University of Wales — September 2001 January 2002 
			 SCS Cranfield University Bedfordshire September 200l September 2004 
			 Teacher Lincolnshire County Council NE England September 200l March 2003 
			 B2 WIG London January 2002 January 2003 
		
	
	
		2002–03
		
			 Band/Grade Parent company or organisation Secondment location(where known) Start date End date 
		
		
			 D DPMT — April 2002 April 2004 
			 D (T&G) BAE Systems Farnborough May 2002 March 2003 
			 C1 UKCeb — June 2002 December 2003 
			 B1 Rolls-Royce — July 2002 July 2004 
			 B1 Thales, France — July 2002 July 2004 
			 D DPMT — July 2001 July 2004 
			 C1 AWE — August 2002 August 2004 
			 SCS BAE Systems Farnborough October 2002 April 2003 
			 C2 BAE Systems — November 2002 November 2003 
			 C2 Lloyds Register — November 2002 November 2004 
			 C1 BAE Systems — January 2003 January 2004 
			 B2 Lloyds Register — March 2003 March 2005 
			 Captain RN BAE Systems — March 2003 March 2005 
			 C2 Commonwealth Games Manchester May 2002 August 2002 
			 D Commonwealth Games Manchester June 2002 August 2002 
			 SCS Employment Opportunities London July 2002 July 2004 
			 C1 The Prince's Trust Glasgow August 2002 August 2004 
			 D CSSC Sports & Leisure Eastern Regions August 2002 August 2005 
			 C1 Defence Industries Council — September 2002 September 2004 
			 C1 Forum for the Future Gloucester October 2002 October 2004 
			 C1 Bromley by Bow Centre London October 2002 November 2004 
			 C2 Royal Star & Garter Home Surrey December 2002 May 2003 
			 C1 Employment Opportunities for People with Disabilities — December 2002 December 2004 
			 C1 Employment Opportunities for People with Disabilities — December 2002 December 2004 
			 SCS Royal Institute of International Affairs London September 2002 September 2004 
			 Teacher Avon Community School USA September 2002 June 2003 
			 NHS Grade City University London London October 2002 June 2003 
			 E1 TUC Learning Services NW Liverpool October 2002 May 2003 
			 SCS Bromley Primary Care Trust Farnborough January 2003 January 2006

Stevens Inquiry

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many employees are suspended as a result of preliminary conclusions of investigations being conducted by Sir John Stevens.

Adam Ingram: None.

Stevens Inquiry

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what instructions were received by Sir John Waters from Sir Hugh Annesley concerning co-operation with the Stevens Inquiry; and if he will place a copy of the instructions in the Library.

Adam Ingram: The Police investigation under Sir John Stevens is continuing. I am therefore withholding the information requested under section 4a of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Stevens Inquiry

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many individuals have (a) died and (b) been injured as a result of collusion with loyalist paramilitary groups, as identified in the report of Sir John Stevens.

Adam Ingram: Sir John Stevens' overview and recommendations published on 17 April 2003 made clear that his enquiries and specific criminal investigations are continuing and that his recommendations cover the operations of all security forces in Northern Ireland. Thus it would be improper for the Ministry of Defence to comment.

Warships

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Sonar 2087 sets (a) have been and (b) are scheduled to be ordered for Royal Navy vessels; and how many vessels, broken down by class, are to be fitted with them.

Adam Ingram: Six Sonar 2087 ship sets have been ordered and a further six are planned to be ordered. It is planned to fit all 12 to Type 23 Frigates. There are at present no plans to fit Sonar 2087 to any other Royal Navy vessels.

Warships

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the continuation in service of each of the (a) batch 3 Type-22 and (b) Type-23 frigates.

Adam Ingram: At present the Royal Navy's Type 22 and Type 23 Frigates are scheduled to remain in service until around the middle of the next decade from which point they will be progressively withdrawn.

Warships

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the (a) destroyers and (b) frigates which (i) are and (ii) are not fully operational together with the reasons for non-availability of each of the non-operational vessels.

Adam Ingram: The Royal Navy has 31 frigates and destroyers, of which 26 (±1) are normally folly operational in "Fleet time" and available for tasking, and five in deep maintenance. Additionally, HMS Nottingham is currently being repaired following her grounding in July 2002.
	(i) Frigates and destroyers available for tasking are:
	Destroyers
	HMS Cardiff
	HMS Newcastle
	HMS Glasgow
	HMS Southampton
	HMS Liverpool
	HMS Manchester
	HMS Edinburgh
	HMS York
	Frigates
	HMS Cornwall
	HMS Cumberland
	HMS Chatham
	HMS Norfolk
	HMS Argyll
	HMS Marlborough
	HMS Lancaster
	HMS Iron Duke
	HMS Westminster
	HMS Northumberland
	HMS Richmond
	HMS Grafton
	HMS Sutherland
	HMS Somerset
	HMS Kent
	HMS Portland
	HMS St. Albans
	(ii) Frigates and destroyers not available for tasking are:
	
		
			  Reason for non-availability 
		
		
			 Destroyers  
			 HMS Exeter Upkeep maintenance in dry dock 
			 HMS Gloucester Just started conducting Sea Acceptance Trails 
			 HMS Nottingham Dry dock undergoing repair work following grounding 
			   
			 Frigates  
			 HMS Cambeltown Nearing completion of Sea Acceptance Trials 
			 HMS Monmouth Mid-way through Sea Acceptance Trials 
			 HMS Montrose Upkeep maintenance in dry dock

Warships

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what lessons he has drawn from Royal Navy operations in the Gulf in respect of (a) the number of escort vessels required to safeguard large units and (b) tactics to ensure security against suicide attacks against warships.

Adam Ingram: A process is in hand to gather all the lessons learned from recent Royal Navy operations and the conflict in the Gulf region.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Broadband

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills by when he expects all schools in England to have broadband internet access; and what steps he is taking to bring this about.

David Miliband: The Prime Minister has set a target for all schools to be connected to broadband by 2006. DfES is working with the Regional Broadband Consortia, LEAs and schools to ensure this target is achieved. Typically DfES would expect primary schools to be connected at a minimum of 2 Megabits per second (2Mbps) and secondary schools at 8 Mbps.
	Broadband connectivity is being rolled out through the 10 Regional Broadband Consortia for England, in conjunction with member LEAs. The Department is also working with a range of partners including telecoms companies and other Government Departments to identify other cost effective ways of providing broadband for schools.

Disciplinary Methods

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what disciplinary methods newly-qualified teachers are (a) encouraged to use and (b) discouraged from using; and what guidance is available from the Department.

Ivan Lewis: The Teacher Training Agency's standards for initial teacher training and induction require all new teachers to be equipped with a range of strategies to support and improve pupil behaviour. It is for individual teachers, acting within law and in line with the school behaviour policy, to determine which methods to use in particular circumstances.
	We provided guidance to schools on drawing up and implementing effective behaviour policies in "Social Inclusion: Pupil Support", published in 1999. We are investing nearly £470 million over the next three years in the national behaviour and attendance strategy, which will among other things, provide further advice and training to support the development and consistent implementation of whole school behaviour policies by all secondary school staff, including newly-qualified teachers.

Disruptive Students

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the performance of behaviour improvement programme experts in addressing disruptive students.

Ivan Lewis: The Behaviour Improvement Programme (BIP) currently runs in 61 LEA areas, and involves extra funding for measures to tackle behaviour and attendance issues in schools where they present a significant threat to standards. Participating schools and authorities have used the funding to provide a range of additional staff including professionals working as part of school-based multi-agency teams, and dedicated staff to mentor and support pupils with problems. Additional funding has also been used to enable a member of the senior management team to focus on whole school behaviour and attendance issues.
	Early findings from the two-year independent evaluation of BIP show classroom disruption, as measured by exclusions, decreasing. Further results will allow us to judge which staff and which models of intervention had the most impact on the target group.

Education Act

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools have applied to the Department for power to innovate as a result of the Education Act 2002; and if he will list the areas of innovation applied for by each school.

David Miliband: There have been two formal applications to use the power to innovate, both of which have been approved. Both schools that applied were reorganising their school day and applied for exemption from the Changing of School Session Times (England) Regulations 1999 in order to change the timing and length of their school days mid-way through the year.
	As well as these two formal applications, the Innovation Unit has provided advice to schools and LEAs on a whole range of inquiries about using the power to innovate and making use of the existing freedoms and flexibilities that are available to schools. (In a number of cases, schools that have contacted the Unit did not realise the extent of the freedoms and flexibilities that are already available and that they did not need the power to innovate to achieve their aims).
	The Unit does not keep a detailed list of all the inquiries that it receives, as many are informal discussions that members of the Unit have with schools and LEAs.

Education Act

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools have applied for earned autonomy as a result of the Education Act 2002; and if he will list the reasons for the application in each case.

David Miliband: Schools are not currently eligible to apply, as the relevant provisions of the Education Act 2002 have not yet been commenced and the necessary regulations have not yet been made.

Education Act

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many applications he has received for the establishment of academies as a result of the Education Act 2002; and if he will list for each application (a) the principal sponsors and (b) whether the application has been successful.

David Miliband: We have received 17 formal expressions of interest to establish an academy under Section 482 of the Education Act 1996 as amended by the Education Act 2002. These are detailed in the table. They do not include expressions of interest to establish city academies which were received prior to the commencement of the relevant sections of the Act.
	Three academies are currently open, a further nine will open in September 2003. 12 academies are currently in development, and will open in 2004 or 2005, which were announced prior to the 2002 Education Act and are not included in the following table.
	
		
			 LEA (a) Principal (b) Status 
		
		
			 Croydon Lord Harris of Peckham Approved 
			 Kensington and Chelsea Martyn Arbib Approved 
			 Greenwich The Archdiocese of Southwark Approved 
			 Hackney Not yet announced Approved 
			 Lewisham The De La Salle Brothers Approved 
			 Lewisham The Haberdashers' Livery Company Approved 
			 Westminster Chelsfield plc Approved 
			 Westminster Not yet announced Approved 
			 Doncaster Not yet announced Under current consideration 
			 Kent Not yet announced Under current consideration 
			 Peterborough Not yet announced Under current consideration 
			 Solihull Not yet announced Under current consideration 
			 Leicester Not yet announced Referred for further development 
			 Sheffield Not yet announced Referred for further development 
			 Bexley No sponsor Not approved 
			 Bristol No sponsor Not approved 
			 Portsmouth No sponsor Not approved

EU Committees

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the names, titles and grades of the officials who sit on the EU Co-ordination Group to promote uniformity of application of the general system for the recognition of higher education diplomas (first general system), the number of times and the dates on which it has met since January 2002, the agenda items it has considered since January 2002, the decisions it has made since January 2002 and the means used to communicate these decisions to the House.

Patricia Hewitt: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department of Trade and Industry is represented in discussions at the EU Co-ordinators meetings on the first general system by the UK Co-ordinator for Directive 89/48, a post currently divided between two Range 8 government officials.
	The mandate for the Co-ordination Group of the first general system directive can be found in Article 9 (2) of Directive 89/48 EEC:
	'A co-ordinating group shall be set up under the aegis of the Commission, composed of the co-ordinators appointed by each Member State or their deputies and chaired by a representative of the Commission.'
	The group normally meets twice yearly. However, this has not been the case in the last year as work on enlargement of the EU has meant that meetings of this group have had to be postponed. The only meeting held since January 2002 was on 9 July 2002. The next meeting will take place on 25 June 2003.
	The main issues considered by the last meeting in July 2002 were:
	The proposed reform of the recognition of professional qualifications which will simplify and consolidate the legislation in this area
	State of accession negotiations
	Entry into force of an agreement which extends the provisions of the first general system to Switzerland
	Notification of the measures transposing Directive 99/42
	Discussion of the new SOLVIT system, a mechanism for effective problem solving (including mutual recognition of qualifications problems) in the Internal Market
	A pilot project to examine and assist physiotherapists working in other Member States
	The use and legitimacy of bi-lateral agreements between various Member States for specific professions
	Discussion of a new computerised system to assist the health professions.
	The main purpose of this committee is not decision making but:
	to facilitate the implementation of this Directive,
	to collect all useful information for its application in Member States.
	The group may be consulted by the Commission on any changes to the existing system that may be contemplated.
	Together with member states, the Commission is currently conducting a review to bring existing legislation on the conduct of comitology committees into line with Council Decision 1999/468/EC, to "simplify the requirements for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission".
	As an obligation to this Decision, the Commission undertook to publish an annual report on the working of committees. The first report was deposited in the Libraries of both Houses on 26 February 2002 (Commission Document 5685/02).
	As part of the review process, the UK Government have encouraged the Commission to produce and maintain an electronic database of every comitology committee, its agendas and recent actions, to be accessible through its website.

EU Directives

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the EU Directives and Regulations which have been implemented by his Department since 17 April 2002.

Margaret Hodge: Since 17 April 2002, the Department for Education and Skills has implemented one Directive:
	Directive 2001/19/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 May 2001 amending Council Directives 89/48/EEC and 92/51/EEC on the second general system for the recognition of professional qualifications and Council Directives 77/452/EEC, 77/453/EEC, 78/686/EEC, 78/687/EEC, 78/1026/EEC, 78/1027/EEC, 80/154/EEC, 80/155/EEC, 85/384/EEC, 85/432/EEC, 85/433/EEC and 93/16/EEC concerning the professions of nurse responsible for general care, dental practitioner, veterinary surgeon, midwife, architect, pharmacist and doctor.
	EC Regulations are, in general, directly applicable in the member states, without the need for further incorporation into national law. However, some Regulations require UK measures to make them workable and enforceable. Some Regulations enact small or technical amendments. As far as we have been able to verify, the Department for Education and Skills has had no Regulation for implementation since 17 April 2002.

Examination Results

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the local education authorities in the (a) first decile and (b) tenth decile for results at (i) Key Stage 2, (ii) Key Stage 3 and (iii) GCSEs in each year since 1997.

David Miliband: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Examination Results

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of pupils in England achieving GCSEs in (a) mathematics and (b) English achieved grades A or above in (i) the best peforming local education authority and (ii) the worst performing local education authority in the last year for which figures are available.

David Miliband: The percentages of pupil achieving A or above at GCSE in (a) Mathematics and (b) English in the highest and lowest performing LEAs are shown in the following tables:
	
		
			 Local education authority Percentage of pupils achieving grade A or above GCSE in 2002 
		
		
			 Maths 
			 (i) Highest percentage  
			 Sutton 29.5 
			   
			 (ii) Lowest percentage  
			 Knowsley 3.1 
			   
			 English 
			 (i) Highest percentage  
			 Sutton 27.8 
			   
			 (ii) Lowest percentage  
			 Knowsley 4.3

Graduate Incomes

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether he plans further studies on the comparative lifetime incomes of graduates and non-graduates, with particular reference to (a) courses studied and (b) subsequent sector of employment.

Margaret Hodge: I have no immediate plans to produce estimates of the lifetime incomes or premiums of graduates broken down by courses studied and subsequent sector of employment. There are, however, plans to publish work later in the year which explores the variation in graduate lifetime earnings by type of institution attended.
	As we make clear in the recent White Paper, those with higher education qualifications earn on average around 50 per cent. more than those who do not. The White Paper also refers to other well-founded research evidence which shows that there is substantial variation in the percentage returns to higher education by subject of degree 1 , and there will inevitably be variations in graduate earnings by sector of employment.
	1 For example, see Walker and Zhu (2002), "The Returns to Education: Evidence from the Labour Force Survey".

Higher Education

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to improve access to higher education courses other than foundation or first degrees for those from less privileged backgrounds.

Ivan Lewis: We have introduced a wide range of measures to encourage wider participation in higher education at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, such as the child care grant, the disabled students allowance and funds to create 1,000 new academic fellowships for postgraduates.

Higher Education

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what evidence he has collated on the fairness of existing higher education admissions systems.

Margaret Hodge: I refer the hon. Member to "The Future of Higher Education" (Cmd 5735) and "Widening Participation in Higher Education", both of which are available in the Library.

Higher Education

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what credit will be given to efforts by an individual higher education institution to encourage wider participation by students in their area, notwithstanding that some may attend institutions elsewhere.

Margaret Hodge: Many universities and colleges are already engaged in partnership work with schools designed to raise levels of participation in higher education generally, including through the Department's Aimhigher programme. These activities would be included in the relevant access agreements.

Local Education Authorities

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what contracts have been entered into by his Department for research into the performance of selective local education authority areas; and if he will give the (a) terms of reference and (b) costs in each case.

David Miliband: The Department has not commissioned any specific research into the performance of selective local education authorities. However, we are aware of various research which has been published by others, and continue to note the conclusions reached.

Market Testing

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the estimated level of saving to the Department is from the use of market testing in 2002–03.

Stephen Twigg: In 2002–03 my Department did not carry out any market testing.
	My Department takes a rigorous approach to ensuring the efficiency and effectiveness of our operations, including an analysis of whether functions could be delivered by, or with, other partners including the private sector. Private sector organisations are currently, and will continue to be, key partners in education and skills delivery.

Microsoft Schools Agreement

Bob Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he expects to conclude a new schools agreement with Microsoft.

Charles Clarke: Microsoft and the Department have been working together since last summer to reach an agreement on a way of reducing the cost of licences to schools. This has included work via our agency BECTA on clarifying current arrangements so that schools can make appropriate decisions on the best value for them. I had a meeting with Microsoft officials on 9 April and I am currently awaiting Microsoft's response to the issues raised.

Microsoft Schools Agreement

Bob Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what effect the announcement of an Office of Fair Trading inquiry into the existing Microsoft Schools Agreement will have on negotiations about a new schools agreement between his Department and Microsoft.

Charles Clarke: The Department will cooperate fully with the OFT, and will monitor closely the progress of the inquiry. In the meantime we will continue to work with Microsoft to reach an agreement on a way of reducing the cost of licences to schools.

Office for Fair Access

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the annual (a) staffing and (b) running costs of the proposed Office for Fair Access to higher education will be.

Margaret Hodge: Staffing and running costs have yet to be determined and will be appropriate to the task. It will not be a large office.

Office for Fair Access

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what arrangements will be made for liaison between the Office for Fair Access and HEFCE in the collection and analysis of data on admissions and non-completion of courses.

Margaret Hodge: Details of the arrangements on data collection by the Office for Fair Access with and its relationship with HEFCE are set out in Widening Participation in Higher Education' available in the library
	We have reflected on how best to take action to bear down on non-completion and decided that the work should be undertaken by HEFCE rather than OFFA.

Office for Fair Access

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the proposed Office for Fair Access will be required (a) to report annually on overall achievements of the higher education sector in improving access and (b) to preserve confidentiality of their dealings with individual institutions in connection with the implementation of their access agreements.

Margaret Hodge: Details of the reporting arrangements are set out in "Widening Participation in Higher Education", available in the Library. Subject to parliamentary approval of the relevant legislation, my right hon. Friend will issue more detailed guidance to the Office for Fair Access later.

Office for Fair Access

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what safeguards will be introduced (a) to ensure the independence of the proposed Office for Fair Access from HEFCE and (b) to define the financial and administrative relations between them.

Margaret Hodge: We have made it clear that the head of the proposed Office for Fair Access (OFFA) will exercise his or her independent judgement. This will be enshrined in legislation. OFFA will supported by, but separate from, HEFCE.

Pupils' Sugar Intake

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the effect of sugar intake on the teachability of children in classrooms.

Stephen Twigg: The Department for Education and Skills has not undertaken an assessment of this type.

Staff Pay Awards

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding, as a proportion of costs, has been made available to (a) primary and (b) secondary schools to meet (i) teachers' pay awards, (ii) non-teaching staff pay awards, (iii) the national insurance increase, (iv) increased pensions costs, (v) grade drift arising from pay spine compression, (vi) pay inflation caused by recruitment and retention pressures and (vii) threshold payments in schools within the Essex LEA.

David Miliband: The total national cash increase in revenue funding for schools and LEAs in 2003–04 is £2.7 billion. In 2003–04 the cash increase in Education Formula Spending and School Standards Direct Grant is 11.6 per cent; this is £250 million greater than the 10.5 per cent. pressures due to pay, pensions, inflation and ending grants. It is not possible to identify these costs at the level of the individual local education authority since we do not collect information on the distribution of staff salaries by individual LEA. However, we appreciate that for some authorities, such as Essex that received low education formula funding increases coupled with reductions in grant through the Standards Fund, low budget increases for schools may result. In the light of representations, we have announced an additional £28 million in grant to ensure that the effective increase for all LEAs between 2002–03 and 2003–04 was no less than 3.2 per cent. per pupil for all authorities, taking account of specific grants as well as EFS. Essex's share is £1.164 million. As far as threshold payments are concerned, the full cost including on-costs is covered by 100 per cent. grant on a demand-led basis.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State published on 2 May an analysis of all LEAs' schools for 2003–04. The analysis raises issues and the Department has written to the Assistant Director of Education asking about these and other issues. The authority has in particular been asked to explain why its central budget is increasing faster than its budget for schools, why it has significant funds intended for schools but not yet allocated to individual schools and why the range of increases for the authority's individual schools is so wide. The authority has until 12 May to respond.

Parliamentary Questions

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he will answer the question from the hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham on the average level of debt accumulated by university students, ref 106593.

Margaret Hodge: A reply was issued on 8 May.

Teachers' Pay

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to harmonise pay grades between teachers in further education colleges and schools.

Margaret Hodge: Teachers in maintained schools are subject to national school teachers' pay and conditions. Further Education (FE) colleges are run by independent corporations established under the Further Education and Higher Education Act 1992 and there is no national pay structure in place. It is for each FE college to agree pay scales and conditions of employment with its staff in the context of the overall resources available to it. There are no plans to change these arrangements.
	We have invested a significant amount of funding in the FE sector. Assumed total funding for FE colleges allocated to the LSC will increase by £1.2 billion in the three years to 2005–06, a 19 per cent. real terms increase. This funding provides the framework to allow FE colleges to make real progress on pay and pay structures and to narrow substantially the pay gap between general FE colleges and schools. We continue to work to deliver the Government's Manifesto commitment to bring up the level of funding for FE colleges towards that of school sixth forms.

University Admissions

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how he will measure the effectiveness of universities in offering places to women and girls from lower income families equitably, according to their intellectual ability.

Margaret Hodge: As we have made clear in "Widening Participation in Higher Education", we believe that all applicants to higher education should be treated fairly and on the basis of their merit and potential. We are not aware of any evidence which suggests that women are generally treated inequitably in the admissions process. Women are well represented in higher education. The participation rate for women aged under 21 in 2000 was 37 per cent., compared with 30 per cent. for men aged under 21. Although the bottom three social groups are under-represented in higher education, women of all age groups account for 53 per cent. of acceptances into higher education from these groups.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Asylum Accommodation Centres

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to announce his decision on whether he intends to apply for planning permission to develop an accommodation centre at the Daedalus site at Lee-on-the-Solent for political asylum seekers.

Beverley Hughes: Our assessment of this site is ongoing. I will make an announcement as soon as this process is complete and I have considered the assessment.

Asylum Accommodation Centres

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in asylum removal centres are not being detained pending removal.

Beverley Hughes: The information requested is not available and would be available only by examination of individual case-files at disproportionate cost.
	While our principal focus for the use of detention is in support of the removal of failed asylum seekers and others, we have made clear that there will continue to be a need to detain persons in other circumstances, specifically while identity and basis of claim are established, where there is a risk of absconding, or (in the case of straightforward asylum claims that can be decided quickly) as part of fast-track asylum procedures.

Asylum Seekers

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the operation of non-suspensive appeals for safe country asylum applications.

Beverley Hughes: Under provisions of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 which came into force on 7 November 2002, a claimant whose asylum or human rights claim has been refused and also certified as "clearly unfounded" may not appeal that refusal until they are outside the United Kingdom. The provisions are applied where the claimant is entitled to reside in one of the 17 countries listed at Section 94(4) of the Act.
	Claims from the initial 10 countries have fallen dramatically since the introduction of non-suspensive appeals, by around 85 per cent. compared with October 2002, based on early management information. The process has proved a considerable success.
	It is too early to comment upon the impact of the addition on 1 April to this list of Albania, Bulgaria, Jamaica, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, and Serbia and Montenegro. However, early management information indicates that claims from these seven countries have fallen but it is too early to assess the overall impact.
	No appeals had been determined as at end December 2002 (the latest date for which published data are available). However, early management information shows that all appeals determined so far have been dismissed or withdrawn.
	We have used the established fast track process at the Oakington Reception Centre to decide claims rapidly and remove those whose claims have been refused and certified. The Court of Appeal found that the procedure at Oakington offers claimants a fair opportunity to demonstrate that their case is arguable.
	Claimants who are unsuitable for detention at Oakington, for whatever reason, have their claims decided in a non-detained process and, where appropriate, are subject to close contact management.
	Information on initial decisions on asylum applications is published quarterly. The next publication will cover the period up to March 2003.

Asylum Seekers

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many replies to letters about asylum from the hon. Member for Luton, South have been outstanding for (a) one month, (b) three months, (c) six months, (d) 12 months and (e) more than 12 months; and which cases are involved in each instance.

Beverley Hughes: There are a total of 14 replies outstanding in response to letters from my hon. Friend on immigration matters. Of these, eight have been outstanding for less than one month; four for less than three months; and two for less than 12 months. This is an unacceptable standard of service and I will write to the hon. Member with details of the cases concerned as soon as possible.

Asylum Seekers

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information his Department (a) collects and (b) publishes on the number of children in asylum seeking families who are detained.

Beverley Hughes: Information on the numbers, ages and duration of detention of children who are detained as members of families is collected for internal management purposes but is not published.
	The published quarterly statistics record the number of people held solely under the 1971 Immigration Act at each immigration removal centre, and the number of these who have sought asylum at some stage. Information on the age of detainees is not yet available.

Asylum Seekers

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers have gone missing after entering the country since 1 January 2001.

Beverley Hughes: I regret that the information requested is not available.
	Some asylum seekers leave the United Kingdom voluntarily; others may remain in the UK illegally. Applicants do not always inform the Immigration Service prior to leaving the UK. We are making substantial improvements in the area of contact management as detailed in the White Paper: Secure Borders, Safe Haven: Integration with Diversity in Modern Britain, paragraph 4.42. A robust new reporting regime is now being put in place.
	There is currently no official estimate of the number of people illegally present in the UK. Estimating the numbers of those illegally present is difficult because by definition, they fall outside of official statistics and are motivated to remain hidden. However, I have commissioned research into the feasibility of producing a reliable estimate.

Asylum Seekers

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applicants for asylum are resident in the London Borough of Redbridge.

Beverley Hughes: The information is not available in the form requested.
	The availability of information on the location of asylum seekers in the United Kingdom is currently linked to the support the asylum seeker receives. Asylum seekers in the United Kingdom either receive support from the National Asylum Support Service (NASS), local authorities or the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), or are supporting themselves.
	At the end of December 2002, 25 asylum seekers (including dependents) were being supported in NASS accommodation and 755 asylum seekers (including dependents) were in receipt of subsistence only support in the London Borough of Redbridge 1 .
	From the grant claims sent to the Home Office by local authorities, as at the end of December 2002, there were 625 asylum cases (comprising 340 individuals and 285 families) being supported by the London Borough of Redbridge Local Authority 1 . Asylum seekers are not necessarily resident in the local authority that supports them due to the voluntary dispersal programme which operated prior to NASS.
	No information is held centrally on the location of residence of asylum seekers supported by DWP or who support themselves.
	1 Figures have been rounded to the nearest five. These figures exclude cases where support has been ceased.

Asylum Seekers

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions his Department has with hospitals in which there are people seeking asylum in the UK who are receiving hospital treatment, with particular reference to those receiving medical treatment for HIV and Aids, before that person is moved to another area of the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: Only asylum seekers requesting that accommodation be provided are considered for dispersal. Dispersal is not automatic and the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) will consider any representations from or on behalf of an asylum seeker that they should not be dispersed. These representations can include requests from a hospital that an asylum seeker should not be dispersed because they are receiving medical treatment. All representations are carefully considered and, in making a decision on whether dispersal is nevertheless appropriate, NASS can take advice from Department of Health officials about availability of treatment in dispersal areas.
	Asylum seekers receiving medical treatment as an in patient are not considered for dispersal until they have been discharged from hospital.

Asylum Seekers

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he next plans to meet Scottish Executive Ministers to discuss the detention of children of asylum seekers in Dungavel Removal Centre.

Beverley Hughes: I have regular meetings with Scottish Ministers to discuss asylum and immigration issues and am also willing to meet when the need arises. Whilst there is no date set at present for a further meeting, I would be more than happy to arrange one if this is requested or should a need arise.

Asylum Seekers

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment has been made of alternatives to the detention of children of asylum seekers.

Beverley Hughes: Alternatives to detention are considered in every case. Each case is considered on its merits and the presumption will always be in favour of granting temporary admission or release wherever possible. Very few families with children are detained and in each such case the decision to detain will not have been taken lightly or without consideration of alternatives.

Asylum Seekers

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what restrictions are placed on him by international law relating to the detention of children of asylum seekers in detention centres.

Beverley Hughes: The detention of children of asylum seekers in removal centres under Immigration Act powers is not in conflict with the requirements or obligations of international law.

Asylum Support

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received about the Asylum Support (Amendment) (No.2) Regulations.

Beverley Hughes: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 6 May 2003, Official Report, column 595W.

Child Protection

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what structures are in place for, and what plans he has to improve, the exchange of information on child sex offenders between countries.

Hilary Benn: Since June 2001 sex offenders subject to the notification requirements of the Sex Offenders Act 1997 have been required to notify the police if they intend to travel abroad for eight days or more. The police can, and do, pass this information to other jurisdictions where they believe the offender may commit offences overseas.
	The meeting of G8 Ministers of Justice and Home Affairs on 5 May this year, discussed the implementation of the strategy against the sexual exploitation of children on the internet. The strategy includes objectives on collecting information, locating suspects and international co-operation, including the creation of an international image database that can be used to identify victims and persons suspected of paedophile acts. This is a major initiative which will assist police forces to combat the sexual exploitation of children on the internet.
	We are continuing to explore with our European partners how we might share information on sex offenders who travel within the European Union.
	Information relating to Scotland is a matter for Ministers in the Scottish Parliament. Information relating to Northern Ireland is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

Child Witness Officer

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether there is a child witness officer available at every court; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
	Each Crown court centre has a Child Liaison Officer, although in some courts the responsibilities will have been taken on by the new Witness Liaison Officers who were appointed in 2002. The Witness Service fulfils this role in the Magistrates' courts.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 11 March 2003 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs. Natalia Belhka.

David Blunkett: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 8 May 2003.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 10 February 2003 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. Sheik Mohammad Kamal Uddin.

David Blunkett: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 8 May 2003.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 11 March 2003 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs. H. Abdul Wahed.

David Blunkett: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 8 May 2003.

Counselling Services

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements are made in his Department to allow staff to access counselling services.

Hilary Benn: The Home Office Health and Welfare Service provides independent, confidential and non-judgmental advice, information and counselling to all staff in the core Home Office, the Forensic Science Service and the UK Passport Service. In cases where further assistance is required staff can be referred to accredited specialist counsellors. The Prison Service Staff Care and Welfare provides a similar service to all staff in the Prison Service.
	Employees may talk to their welfare officer about any concerns they may have, whether they are inside or outside the workplace. The service helps staff to deal with problems which may affect their performance or attendance and helps them to continue to remain effective at work.

Criminal Justice Bill

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 28 February 2003, Official Report, column 772W, on the Criminal Justice Bill, what research he used to reach his estimate of 1,000 additional prisoners.

Hilary Benn: A model was developed by the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate as part of the review of sentencing policy conducted by John Halliday ("Making Punishments Work", published in July 2001). This model was then adapted for use in assessing the impact of the Criminal Justice Bill, focussing on those aspects of the review's proposals that have been taken forward in the Bill, as well as additional proposals that have been developed following the publication of the review. The model considers the cost-benefits of the proposals, as well as the impacts on prison and probation workload. It uses published prison and probation statistics, and research evidence on the effectiveness of programmes in reducing re-offending. It is based on sentencing behaviour in 2000. The assumptions within the model were agreed with the relevant stakeholders such as the Prison Service, Probation Service and others. The projected net effect of implementation of the sentencing provisions in the Bill, of a small increase of about 1,000 in the prison population by 2009, was arrived at using the model. The impact is estimated to be about 500 once all the changes have been implemented and sufficient time has passed for their full effects to be seen.

Drug-related Crime

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the cost of crimes committed as a result of drug addictions in the UK in each of the last five years.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 8 May 2003
	Recorded crime figures do not record whether an offence has been committed as a consequence of an offender's drug habits. Therefore it is not possible to make a direct assessment of the cost of crimes committed as a result of drug addiction.
	However, a recent study published by the Home Office provides estimates of the total economic costs of Class A drug use in 2000 in the range of £2.9 and £5.3 billion. These costs include those to the health service, courts, prisons and other parts of the criminal justice system. When social costs, such as the costs to the victims of drug-related crime, are added, the total rises to between £10.1 and £17.4 billion, with problematic drug users responsible for 99 per cent. of these costs.

Extradition (USA)

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason the draft agreements between the European Union and the United States on extradition and mutual legal assistance have been classified as confidential; and if he will withdraw his request for the parliamentary scrutiny committees to consider the documents in camera.

Bob Ainsworth: The decision to classify the draft EU-US judicial co- operation Agreements was taken by the General Secretariat of the Council, in line with the criteria set down in the Council's security regulations of 19 March 2001. It is normal practice for negotiations on third country agreements to be held in restricted session and for the accompanying documents to be classified. This is necessary in order to protect the negotiating positions of the parties.
	The Agreements were de-classified on 2 May and have now been deposited with the Scrutiny Committees. An accompanying Explanatory Memorandum is being prepared in the normal way. The decision to de-classify the text was not one which could be taken by the UK unilaterally but rather, in accordance with the Council's security regulations, required the agreement of all member states and the US.

Forged Passports

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of forged passports in circulation in the UK.

Beverley Hughes: It is difficult to quantify the number of false passports circulating within the United Kingdom, given the nature of the problem.
	Forgery detection which is carried out by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate's National Forgery Section (NFS). As part of a comprehensive brief addressing passport forgery, NFS conducts forgery detection training for all Immigration Service staff, ranging from basic training for new entrants, through intermediate to expert level. As a direct result of this training, a provisional total of 9,665 fraudulent documents were detected at UK ports of entry in 2002 (an increase of 46 per cent. over the 2001 figure). NFS also delivers training to the police, Customs and Excise, the DVLA and the Department for Work and Pensions. This in turn leads to substantial numbers of falsified documents being discovered within the United Kingdom and inhibits the adoption of false identities.
	Since October 2001, NFS has had a permanent presence at the main offices of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) in Croydon, following a pilot exercise which revealed large numbers of fraudulent documents being submitted in support of applications for leave to remain. As well as examining suspect documents on behalf of their colleagues in Croydon, NFS has also established a comprehensive training programme for caseworkers, resulting in the discovery of many more forged documents. Provisional figures for 2002 indicate that a total of 461 fraudulent documents was detected there, an increase of 28 per cent. over the figure for 2001.
	Work is now under way to ensure that the best use is made of biometric technology in travel documents, to combat identity fraud and facilitate the operation of border controls. Managers from NFS represent the United Kingdom at relevant international working groups, with the aim of securing an agreement on global interoperability of the appropriate technology.

Immigration

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when a constituent of the hon. Member for Vauxhall, ref G306128, will be sent (a) his status documents confirming his indefinite leave to remain in the UK, as indicated in letters to the hon. Member dated 21 November 2002 and 19 March 2003, and (b) the documents which he submitted to the Home Office in support of his application.

Beverley Hughes: I am pleased to inform my hon. Friend that Mr. Grant was issued with a letter confirming his grant of indefinite leave to remain in the UK on 29 April 2003. The documents which he submitted in support of his application were returned with this letter.

Immigration

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases were referred to the MPs' Hotline section of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate in each of the last 12 months.

Beverley Hughes: The number of inquiries received (including faxes) and dealt with by the MPs' Hotline for each of the last 12 months is shown in the table:
	
		
			  
		
		
			 May 2002 2,126 
			 June 2002 2,184 
			 July 2002 2,823 
			 August 2002 2,872 
			 September 2002 2,814 
			 October 2002 2,294 
			 November 2002 2,583 
			 December 2002 2,237 
			 January 2003 3,149 
			 February 2003 3,017 
			 March 2003 2,150 
			 April 2003 2,055

Naturalisation

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the internal inquiries into naturalisation application B1090943, commenced on 21 September 2001, to be completed; and why these inquiries have been delayed.

Beverley Hughes: The inquiries have now been completed and we should be in a position to reach a decision soon. There has been no avoidable delay. Some cases take longer to resolve than others, depending upon the particular features of the case.

Oakington Reception Centre

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he plans to amend the security arrangements at the Immigration Reception Centre, Oakington.

Beverley Hughes: UK Immigration Service staff are working with the operators of the Oakington Reception Centre, to ensure that the security arrangements at the centre remain robust, while ensuring that the residents can continue to live in a decent relaxed regime.

Offence Categories

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in Home Office Statistical Bulletin 05/03, Table 2, in relation to the offence categories for which no adjusted figure is available, whether (a) the unadjusted figure is used to contribute to the adjusted totals and (b) the categories in question are excluded from the adjusted totals.

Bob Ainsworth: In Table 2 of the Home Office Statistical Bulletin 05/03, recorded crime figures have been adjusted to take into account the impact of the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS), which was adopted across all forces from April 2002. The NCRS has been implemented to help police forces adopt a more consistent and victim-focused approach to recording crime.
	It is important to note that the NCRS-adjusted figures for offence groups are estimates. These estimates have been calculated based on changes to the ratio of police recorded crimes and crime-related incidents brought to the attention of the police, before and after the introduction of the NCRS.
	The adjusted total recorded crime figure, published in Table 2 of the Home Office Statistical Bulletin 05/03, is a total for all recorded crime offences. (It therefore includes all the categories for which no adjusted figure is available, i.e. sexual offences, other thefts and handling, fraud and forgery, drug offences and other offences). NCRS adjustments made to the total recorded crime figure have been calculated using exactly the same methodology as the adjustments for the other offence groups in Table 2. The data used to calculate the adjusted total recorded crime figure are therefore not a sum of all the figures for the offence groups, it is a separate calculation. The adjustment for the total recorded crime figure is based on a return from forces asking separately (from the other offence categories), for total recorded crime and total crime-related incident data.
	The impact of the NCRS varies considerably across crime types. Currently, it is not possible to adjust the national data for the impact of the NCRS for certain crime types where police forces are unable to differentiate incidents, where numbers are too small, or where the nature of incident recording means that this measure is particularly unreliable as an indicator of underlying trends. However, these constraints do not apply when considering recorded crime as a whole.

Parenting Programmes

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action his Department is taking to increase the availability of parenting classes in England and Wales.

Hilary Benn: Measures in the Criminal Justice Bill and the Anti-social Behaviour Bill will increase demand for parenting classes. Youth Offending Teams receive grants from the Youth Justice Board and prioritise in response to local demands. Parenting classes are delivered in response to parenting orders and on a voluntary basis. All Youth Offending Teams are expected to offer parenting classes or have plans for implementing a parenting service by April 2004. The Youth Justice Board is reviewing the provision of parenting programmes and this review will also extend to the Secure Estate where some parenting classes are already being delivered. The Home Office Family Support Grant provides £5.8 million a year to a range of voluntary organisations for parenting support, including parenting classes. Since 1999–2000 it has funded 108 organisations to deliver 182 different projects across England plus grants to the National Family and Parenting Institute, Parentline Plus, Home Start UK and the Parenting Education and Support Forum (which provides a range of services and support to other organisations that deliver parenting classes).
	In the 2002 Spending Review, the Government announced the creation of a new Parenting Fund worth £25 million (£5/10/10 million) over three years from 2003–04 for delivery of parenting support through the voluntary sector.

Parenting Programmes

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many parenting programmes are being provided in England and Wales in each county; what the cost is of each place on a parenting programme; and how many additional places on parenting programmes are going to be funded in (a) 2003–04 and (b) 2004–05.

Hilary Benn: Figures are not available for the number of parenting programmes being provided by county in England and Wales.
	The cost of each place on a parenting programme depends on various factors including the type of programme and the number of parents attending. The cost is currently estimated as approximately £750 per place on average but with expected increased volume of courses during next financial year this is estimated to fall to around £500 per place.
	Figures are not available for the number of additional places which will be funded in 2003–04 and 2004–05. The Youth Justice Board makes a general grant available to Youth Offending Teams which have to prioritise in response to local demands some of which will be driven by parenting orders others will be interventions including parenting contracts on a voluntary basis.

Parenting Programmes

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many parents in England and Wales who have been ordered to attend parenting programmes are awaiting places on such courses.

Hilary Benn: This information is not available centrally. The normal process is that when a court considers making a parenting order it consults the Youth Offending Team and makes an order only if there is a local parenting scheme available.

Parenting Programmes

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many parenting orders have been issued in England and Wales in each year that they have been available.

Hilary Benn: Parenting orders were piloted between 30 September 1998 and 31 March 2000 during which 284 parenting orders were issued. Since then, the Youth Justice Board has been collating the figures by financial year, as shown in the table.
	
		Parenting orders made since April 2000
		
			  
		
		
			 April 2000 to March 2001 979 
			 April 2001 to March 2002 1,216 
			 April to December 2002 (latest available figures) 911

Police

Andrew Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria he takes into consideration when determining whether special circumstances under the Police Reform Act 2002 enable special priority payments to be paid to more than 30 per cent. of any force.

Bob Ainsworth: The Special Priority Payment (SPP) Scheme was not introduced under the Police Reform Act 2002 but by agreement with all the main police organisations in the Police Negotiating Board (PNB). The Scheme was one of a number of ground-breaking reforms to police pay and conditions of service included in the PNB Agreement of 9 May 2002.
	Under the Agreement, PNB expected that no more than 30 per cent. of force strength should qualify for a SPP save in exceptional circumstances. A number of forces in the south east made out a case to have schemes covering up to 40 per cent. of force strength due to the particularly acute difficulties they were experiencing in retaining officers. Not all forces in the south east are experiencing such difficulties.

Police

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department from what sources of revenue the annual policing budget is drawn.

Bob Ainsworth: Policing revenue budgets are funded from the following sources:
	(a) Home Office Police Grant.
	(b) Revenue Support Grant and redistributed National Non Domestic Rates.
	(c) Specific grants for particular initiatives.
	(d) The element of local council tax raised through the police authority precept.
	(e) Police authorities' reserves and locally generated income.

Ports (Security)

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what security measures are in place for the ports of (a) Grimsby, (b) Immingham, (c) Hull and (d) Goole.

David Jamieson: I have been asked to reply.
	It is not the practice to disclose details of security measures.

Refugees

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans are being made to reduce the percentage of refugees entering Europe who ultimately settle in the United Kingdom over the next decade.

Beverley Hughes: The Government are working on a number of measures to reduce the numbers of spontaneous arrivals of people seeking asylum in Europe and to address the problem of secondary movements of asylum seekers within the EU.
	Domestically, the measures in the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 will deter and prevent people who do not need international protection but lodge asylum applications in order to circumvent immigration controls, from entering the UK.
	Together with our European partners, the Government is active in numerous joint projects and operations to strengthen the EU's external borders. Stronger EU borders will have a significant impact on the numbers of illegal immigrants arriving in the UK. The first round of operations is currently being evaluated in order to set priorities for future action.
	The Government has also worked to secure a more effective mechanism to replace the Dublin Convention, determining which Member State is responsible for considering an asylum application lodged in one of the Member States of the EU. The Dublin II Regulation will enter into force in September this year. The Eurodac fingerprint database is now operational, and will provide much better evidence to support the determination of responsibility. Together, the Dublin II regulation and the Eurodac system will enable the UK to effect the return of a greater number of asylum seekers to the Member State most responsible for their presence on EU territory.
	The UK has been active in negotiations to put in place minimum standards for reception conditions for asylum seekers, for asylum procedures and for qualification as a refugee across the EU. The proposed Qualification Directive, for example, will result in a more consistent interpretation of the definition of a refugee and ensure that each Member State accords refugees comparable rights and benefits. This should discourage those in genuine need of international protection from "asylum shopping". The reduction of both the real and the perceived advantages of applying in certain Member States over others should deter secondary movements of asylum applicants within the EU.
	In the longer term, we believe that our proposals for 'zones of protection' will make a significant contribution to better international management of refugees and asylum-seekers. These ideas are now being discussed with other Member States, the European Commission and United Nation High Commission for Refugees and we are encouraged by the support we have received to date. These 'zones' are designed to improve the quality and availability of protection for refugees who need it, while ensuring we strengthen the management of our borders and can have proper control of who comes into the UK.

Road Safety

Andrew Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the policy of the Metropolitan police is on charging (a) victims and their families of road death or serious injury and (b) dependants for police reports, witness statements and collision investigation reports on such incidents in respect of incidents occurring (i) within the Metropolitan police area and (ii) partly within the Metropolitan police area and partly in neighbouring police authority areas.

Bob Ainsworth: In each of the areas listed, the Metropolitan police follow the charging policy adopted by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO). The ACPO standard requires the recovery of administration and reproduction costs applicable to all police records, including copies of road collision investigation reports.
	In cases involving serious road traffic incidents, local senior police officers have discretion to waive charges where, for example, payment would bring hardship or cause distress. The decision can also depend on the timing of the request and whether it comes from a third party. In some cases, the full circumstances of an incident may lead to a charge being levied.
	Disclosure of relevant police records to victims and dependants is clearly a sensitive issue. We will examine it carefully as part of pilot projects, due to commence later this year, on how best to meet the support needs of serious road crash victims.

Street Crime (Redbridge)

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on reducing street crime within the London borough of Redbridge.

Bob Ainsworth: The Home Office has not commissioned any research which is specific to Redbridge. It has however commissioned a report on trends in crime statistics (including street crime) across London, which involves all the London boroughs. The results have not yet been evaluated.

Theft Victims

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the circumstances in which police issue lost property numbers rather than crime numbers to victims of theft.

Bob Ainsworth: Prior to 2001 lost property numbers, rather than crime numbers, were issued by the police to members of the public who perceived themselves to be victims of theft but where there was insufficient evidence to show that a crime had been committed. The lost property numbers were issued primarily for insurance purposes.
	Since 2001 everyone who reports a theft to the police, whether real or perceived, should be issued with a crime number not a lost property number. This change occurred following a report from Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary in July 2000 that set out the extent and causes of variations in police recording practices. One of the conclusions reached was that there was a need for all forces to have in place an accurate and ethical crime recording system.
	Whilst allegations which clearly have no basis in fact are now weeded out of the published recorded crime statistics, they all require initial recording as a crime, and a written justification if the matter is not pursued.

Work-related Deaths

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to create a specialist police unit to investigate work-related deaths.

Bob Ainsworth: Within the context for policing in England and Wales, I have no plans to create a specialist police unit to investigate work-related deaths. However, the Health and Safety Executive, Crown Prosecution Service, the Association of Chief Police Officers, Local Government Association and British Transport Police have produced a revised protocol for investigating work related deaths. The protocol sets out the principles for effective liaison between the organisations responsible for investigating work related deaths in England and Wales

Young Offenders Institutions

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what resettlement work is conducted with remand prisoners in young offenders institutions.

Hilary Benn: Resettlement work with remand prisoners in young offender institutions seeks to prevent the avoidable loss of accommodation, employment and family ties. Work is also undertaken to address education needs and drug misuse.
	Job centre Plus surgeries, providing benefit and employment advice and support to 18 to 20-year-olds on remand as well as sentenced prisoners, will be established in young offender institutions during 2003–04. The Youth Justice Board for England and Wales is seeking to improve resettlement work with remand prisoners aged 15 to 17 in young offender institutions through the provision of seconded youth offending team workers.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Anglo/US Discussions

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with members of the United States Administration regarding (a) Zimbabwe, (b) Iran, (c) North Korea and (d) Syria.

Bill Rammell: Our policy toward both Iran and Syria has most recently been discussed with the US Administration in the context of the current crisis in Iraq. With regard to both, the UK remains committed to a policy of constructive and, where necessary, critical engagement, which allows us to support reform while maintaining a robust dialogue on issues of concern.
	We are in regular and close consultation with the US Administration on the issue of North Korea's nuclear programmes. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister discussed this with President Bush most recently on 26 March, and I visited Washington for talks with senior Administration colleagues at the beginning of April. We will continue to work with the US and other key partners to find a peaceful and lasting resolution to this issue.
	My noble Friend Baroness Amos discussed Zimbabwe with Walter Kansteiner, US Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, when they met on 30 April.

Anglo/US Discussions

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the US Administration regarding the future of the (a) European Union and (b) United Nations.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary is in frequent contact with his US counterpart, Colin Powell, on a range of subjects. These sometimes include issues connected with both the European Union and the United Nations.

Anglo/US Discussions

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the US Administration regarding the (a) German and (b) French Administration.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary is in regular contact with his US counterpart, Colin Powell. Discussions usually cover a wide range of issues.

Arms Embargoes

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is in dealing with unfulfilled contracts with countries which subsequently are subject to arms embargoes; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: The Government places considerable importance on UK companies being able to honour their contractual obligations. However, arms embargoes are normally only imposed when a situation has deteriorated to such an extent that a continued trade in arms would be inconsistent with maintaining or restoring international peace and security.
	The UK requires that a licence is obtained for each export or supply of equipment on the Military List from the UK or by a UK registered company or national overseas. Every such licence is subject to being varied or revoked, and appropriate action will be therefore taken whenever a new embargo is introduced.

Arms Exports

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what ministerial meetings have taken place with representatives of other countries at which the (a) export and (b) promotion of British military equipment was discussed in (i) 2002 and (ii) 2003 to date, in each case what was the country concerned and the substance of discussions; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: Ministers from a number of Government Departments regularly have meetings with representatives of other countries, during which they, as a main topic or as a secondary matter, promote British exports, including defence equipment.
	The Government keep a central record neither of these meetings, nor of the substance of the discussions.

Arms Exports

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which countries were invited by his Department to attend meetings promoting arms exports in (a) 2002 and (b) 2003 to date; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff throughout the world, regularly have meetings with representatives of other countries, during which the promotion of British exports, including defence equipment is discussed.
	The Government keep a central record neither of these meetings, nor of the substance of the discussions.

Civil Service (People with Disabilities)

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in meeting targets for the proportion of people with disabilities in senior posts in the Department.

Mike O'Brien: At 1 April, 1.7 per cent. of staff in the FCO senior management structure identified themselves as having a disability.
	We have a target of 3 per cent. of senior staff for 2005 and are taking measures to achieve this. We have recently formed a Disability Advisory Group. The group is actively looking at ways to encourage the progression of disabled staff through our career structure, including supporting them on overseas postings. Disability is one of the areas covered by our Ministerial Steering Group on Diversity, which is driving forward the FCO's diversity agenda. We also regularly fund a bursary under the Cabinet Office's Leadership Development programme for Disabled Civil Servants, which is worth £10,000, and supports a disabled member of staff with the potential to progress to senior levels.

Drug Trafficking

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Spanish counterpart on combating South American international crime, particularly within the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: We are in regular touch with Spain and other EU partners to co-ordinate efforts on combating international crime from South America, and in particular on the threat from Class A drugs. UK officials play an active role in developing implementation strategies for the EU's Action Plan on drugs. We are also active in the Technical Committee of the EU-Latin American-Caribbean Drugs Co-ordination and Co-operation Mechanism, which is engaged in strengthening inter-regional ties.
	HM Customs and Excise work closely on joint investigations and operations with their Spanish counterparts, and regularly share intelligence through NCIS.

Drug Trafficking

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment has been made of the success of the international war on drugs; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: In April, the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs concluded that since the Special Session of the UN General Assembly on Drugs in 1998 there had been mixed success in combating illegal narcotics. Many countries have put in place or strengthened measures to reduce demand for illicit drugs and to provide treatment for those affected. Improvements have also been made in national and international co-operation on supply reduction and law enforcement. But serious problems remain. The UK will continue to devote effort and resources to tackling the drugs problem at home and internationally, particularly in Afghanistan, where the creation of alternative economic activities is vital to the success of the fight against the international drug problem and to the stability of the region.

Entry Clearance

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the total cost was of providing the UK visas entry clearance service worldwide in the financial year (a) 2000–01 and (b) 2001–02.

Bill Rammell: The cost of providing the entry clearance service world-wide in 2000–01 and 2001–02 was £84,144,386 and £81,385,364 respectively.
	As a result of changes in the way in which costs are attributed to the entry clearance operation by the FCO, a net loss of £3.3 million was incurred for 2000–01 when costs were netted off against income. Following on from this £3.3 million loss in 2000–01, there was a further loss of £0.4 million in 2001–02 taking the cumulative loss to £3.7 million.
	The operation appears to be on course to break even in 2002–03 with forecast income of £91.5 million and costs of £87.1 million.
	The cumulative position is forecast to deliver a marginal surplus of around £0.7 million. Figures for 2002–03 are provisional and subject to change.

Gaza Strip

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Israeli Government to have the wall removed that separates the people of Mawassi from the rest of the Gaza Strip.

Mike O'Brien: Yes. We have instructed our embassy in Tel Aviv to make representations to the Israeli Government on the wall surrounding Mawassi.

Gaza Strip

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Israeli Government to ensure that humanitarian aid agencies have access to the people of Mawassi in the Gaza Strip; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: Yes. We have instructed our embassy in Tel Aviv to make representations to the Israeli Government to ensure humanitarian aid agencies can gain access to Mawassi.

Global Conflict Prevention Pool

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what projects were funded from the Global Conflict Prevention Pool in 2002–03; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: The Global Conflict Prevention Pool funds a wide range of projects and activities that contribute to the Government's conflict prevention Public Service Agreement (PSA) target of reducing the number of individuals whose lives are affected by violent conflict and reducing the potential sources of future conflict, where the UK can make a difference.
	Examples of areas covered by projects are:
	improving access to justice and reform of judicial systems;
	support to reform of the security sector to improve human security and reduce tension, through promoting professionalism and democratic accountability;
	reducing the availability of small arms and light weapons in potential conflict zones;
	support to disarmament and demobilisation of former combatants, together with their re-training and resettlement back into civil society;
	support to national and international efforts, and work with civil society to reduce inter-ethnic and other sources of social tension.
	Projects under the GCPP are managed by cross-Government geographical and thematic strategies. These take a strategic approach to conflict reduction in particular regions of the world, based on agreed analysis of the local conflict reduction needs, or are based around particular activities which often influence conflict reduction. All strategies relate their activities to the PSA target.
	In Financial Year 2002–3, the geographical strategies were:
	Afghanistan, The Balkans, Belize/Guatemala, Central and Eastern Europe, Indonesia/East Timor, India/Pakistan/Kashmir, Middle East/North Africa, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Russia/FSU.
	In the same period, there were five thematic strategies:
	EU Civilian Crisis Management, OSCE/Council of Europe, Security Sector Reform, Small Arms and Light Weapons, and UN capacity building for peacekeeping and conflict prevention.
	A report on the activities of the Global Conflict Prevention Pool will be published this summer and a copy placed in the Library of the House.

Guantanamo Bay

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of whether the terms of UN Resolution 43/173 of 9 December 1988 are being observed in Guantanamo Bay.

Doug Naysmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on whether detainees at Guantanamo Bay are being treated in accordance with the terms of UN resolution 43/173 dealing with the body of principles for the protection of all persons under any form of detention or imprisonment; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The US has said that the detainees at Guantanamo Bay are being treated humanely and consistently with the principles of the Geneva Conventions.

Guantanamo Bay

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has been informed of the names, the nationality and the age of all of the prisoners being held by the United States authorities in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: No.

Guantanamo Bay

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations Her Majesty's Government has made to the United States administration in respect of the incarceration of children under 16 at Camp X-ray in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made regarding the holding of children in Guantanamo Bay.

Mike O'Brien: None of the UK detainees in Guantanamo Bay are under 16. The question of juveniles' detention at Guantanamo Bay will be part of the regular dialogue between the UK and US Governments on the detainees.

Honours

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many officials in his Department have received honours; and how many honours are held by his officials, broken down by category of honour.

Jack Straw: In the five-year period from New Year 1999 to Birthday 2003, 170 officials will have received awards in honours lists prepared by my Department, as follows:
	GCMG—6, D/KCMG—21, CMG—50, D/KBE—8, CBE—1, QBE—37, MBE—47:
	total 170, or an average of 34 per annum. This does not include awards in the Royal Victorian Order, which are made personally by The Queen.
	We are unable to provide the information on the number of honours held by officials as the information is not kept on a database and could only be collected at disproportionate cost.

International Criminal Court

Tony Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about his policy regarding the exemption of peacekeepers from possible referral to the International Criminal Court when the policy comes up for renewal at the Security Council.

Bill Rammell: Security Council Resolution 1422 is in force for a period of 12 months as from 12 July 2002. The Security Council has not yet embarked on discussion of what action to take upon the expiry of this Resolution, though I expect that it will do so within the next few weeks. SCR 1422 provides for its renewal for further 12-month periods.

Iraq

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans there are for the management of Iraqi oil revenues; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: We plan to discuss the management of Iraq's oil sector, including oil revenues, with coalition partners and other members of the UN Security Council and with an Iraqi interim authority when one is established. As we have consistently made clear, Iraqi oil revenues should be used for the good of the Iraqi people.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with (a) his United States counterpart and (b) other representatives of the United States administration, in respect of the appropriate way to interrogate and incarcerate former members of the former (i) government and (ii) military leadership of Iraq who are apprehended; and what discussions have taken place about the form of trial that may be necessary to deal with such prisoners.

Mike O'Brien: Officials have been in discussion with their US counterparts over the handling of prisoners of war in Iraq and the mechanism(s) that may be necessary to bring them to justice. There are strong arguments for allowing the Iraqis to take responsibility for this, with suitable international help. We are working with the US to assess the capacity of the judicial system in Iraq to deal with serious crimes such as crimes against humanity. Clearly, any new arrangements will require the approval of the Iraqi people.

Iraq

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of sensitive information relating to British diplomacy passing between Russia and Iraq in recent months.

Mike O'Brien: We have no authoritative reporting on this.

Iraq

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK embassies in EU countries have required additional protection since the start of the Iraq conflict; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The security of British Diplomatic Missions overseas is subject to constant and ongoing review, and protective measures are deployed where they are considered necessary. This has been the case for Embassies within the EU as well as elsewhere. Due to security Issues, I am withholding further information under exemption 4(e) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Iraq

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department had with the Iraqi Patriotic Union prior to 28 April.

Mike O'Brien: The FCO has maintained close and regular contact with the PUK at a variety of levels over many years in London, Ankara, Tehran, northern Iraq and elsewhere. I most recently met Barham Salih, head of the PUK administration in northern Iraq, in London on 17 March 2003. I also met representatives of a group of Iraqi parties, including the PUK, on 27 March.
	Members of the PUK attended the Baghdad conference on 28 April and I spoke to a number of Kurds there, some of whom were probably PUK although that issue did not arise.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what evidence was provided by the United Kingdom to the members of the United Nations Security Council to demonstrate Iraq's possession of weapons of mass destruction in support of preambular paragraphs 3 and 6 of Security Council Resolution 144 (2002) prior to the vote on the resolution on 8th November 2002.

Mike O'Brien: The information on which the text in preambular paragraphs 3 and 6 of UN Security Council Resolution 1441 came from UNSCOM's reports of their findings in Iraq during the 1990s. UNSCOM repeatedly stated that Iraq's declarations concerning their WMD programmes were incomplete and that Iraq was concealing the real extent of their programmes.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how the Government plans to achieve independent verification of the discovery of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

Mike O'Brien: The Government appreciates the need for credible, independent validation of any discoveries made by coalition forces. We are actively looking at means to ensure such validation.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of the removal of (a) weapons of mass destruction and (b) weapons of mass destruction material by members of (i) the Ba'ath Party and (ii) the former Iraqi Government.

Mike O'Brien: There have been a number of media reports suggesting that Iraqi weapons of mass destruction and the material for such weapons have been removed from Iraq.
	At this stage we have not substantiated these reports.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he intends to take to make provision for UNMOVIC inspectors to return to the permissive areas south of Baghdad.

Mike O'Brien: Dr. Blix has himself stated that the circumstances are not right for the return of UN inspectors at present. If and when they do return, their tasks would have changed; their focus would be on monitoring and verification rather than detection. That would call for different skills, and some restructuring of their operation would be necessary.

Iraq

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the UN Security Council on the re-introduction of UN weapons inspectors to Iraq to validate and oversee the destruction of weapons of mass destruction, should such weapons be found.

Mike O'Brien: The Government appreciate the need for credible, independent validation of any discoveries made, and we are engaged in discussion over how best to ensure this. UNMOVIC and the IAEA would be an option to provide such validation.

Iraq

Tony Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will urge that alleged Iraqi war criminals should be tried in the International Criminal Court; and if he will make a statement on his policy relating to offences committed by the previous Iraqi regime.

Bill Rammell: The International Criminal Court has no jurisdiction prior to 1 July 2002, the date when the Rome Statute came into force. As Iraq is not a Party to the Statute, a Security Council Resolution referring a situation to the Court, or a declaration by a new Iraqi governing authority accepting the jurisdiction of the Court in relation to an alleged crime, would be required for the ICC to consider any situation arising since that date.
	We shall need to consult the Iraqis as to their wishes in relation to crimes committed against them by the previous Iraqi regime. There are strong arguments in favour of an Iraqi-led process. But international assistance is likely to be required. The present state of the Iraqi judicial system needs to be assessed. We are working closely with coalition partners on this.

Iraq

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advocacy he has undertaken on behalf of British companies with regard to the rebuilding of Iraq; and if he will list the companies that have secured contracts.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 8 May 2003
	I have been asked to reply.
	We expect UK companies to play a significant role in the redevelopment of post-conflict Iraq. In the short-term, US funded contracts are likely to be the main source of opportunities for UK companies on a sub-contract basis. In this context, I have spoken to the US authorities, including Andrew Natsios of US AID. While we expect UK companies to win contracts, they are not obliged to inform us if and when they do so.

Iraq

Gavin Strang: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with representatives of (a) the International Atomic Energy Agency and (b) the Government of the United States of America concerning the request by the IAEA that an IAEA investigative mission be allowed to examine the condition of Iraq's nuclear facilities.

Mike O'Brien: The Director-General of the IAEA, Dr. Mohamed El-Baradei, is today (12 May) in London for discussions with my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary on a number of issues of mutual concern. The question of renewed IAEA visits to Iraq is one of the subjects that will be discussed.
	We continue to discuss all issues relating to future Iraq policy with the Government of the United States.

Iraq

Gavin Strang: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the United States of America in support of the request of the International Atomic Energy Agency that an IAEA investigative mission be allowed to examine the condition of Iraq's nuclear facilities.

Mike O'Brien: The matter of a return by IAEA inspectors to Iraq to continue their monitoring tasks is among a number of issues relating to the monitoring and verification of Iraq's weapons and nuclear energy programmes, which we have discussed with the Government of the United States.
	The timing of any eventual IAEA return must be judged in the light of circumstances in Iraq, including the security situation.
	We will continue to discuss with the US Government all issues relating to future Iraq policy.

Israel

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Israeli Government to ensure the safety of British citizens engaged in (a) peace campaigning and (b) humanitarian work in Palestine; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: We have had frequent contact with the Israeli authorities over our concerns about the safety of British nationals in the Occupied Territories. Most recently, I spoke to the Israeli Ambassador on 19 April to raise our concerns. Given the number of recent incidents involving foreign nationals and Palestinian civilians, I asked the Israeli authorities to revise the Rules of Engagement for the Israel Defence Forces to ensure that there can be no repeat of these incidents.

Middle East

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government are taking to encourage religious leaders from all sides in the Middle East to work towards a peace settlement in Israel and Palestine.

Mike O'Brien: In January 2002 the Alexandria process brought senior Muslim, Jewish and Christian religious leaders together to work for peace in the Middle East. The Alexandria Declaration pledges religious leaders to work together to promote a peaceful settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and continuing inter-faith dialogue. We recognise the important role religious leaders can play in promoting peace in the Middle East, and we have provided administrative, financial and moral support for this process, with which we remain involved.

Middle East

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the UK has made to Israel to stop further settlement in East Jerusalem.

Mike O'Brien: Our Ambassador in Tel Aviv raised the issue of Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem, and in particular that at Ras al-Amoud, with the Israeli Interior Minister, Avraham Poraz, on 1 April. Ministers and officials regularly make representations to Israel about illegal settlements throughout the Occupied Territories.
	A freeze on all settlement building is required under Phase One of the Quartet roadmap. The Government have made it clear that this is essential to the continuing viability of the two-state solution.

Middle East

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions took place among the drafters of the roadmap for peace in the Middle East concerning Israel and the Palestinian Authority's compliance with international law.

Mike O'Brien: The UK does not have details of the private discussions between Quartet members during the drafting of the roadmap.
	The roadmap is a description of a political process. Its content does not affect Israel's obligations to comply with international law or the commitments given by the Palestinian Authority to do so. The Government are concerned that both Israel and the Palestinian Authority should act in accordance with international law, including the 4th Geneva Convention.

Middle East

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Israeli government concerning the wall surrounding the West Bank; and what response he has received.

Mike O'Brien: Our Embassy in Tel Aviv has raised with the Government of Israel our concerns about the location and likely impact of the "security fence". We deplore the seizure of Palestinian land, the isolation of Palestinian villages, and the creation of a further physical obstacle to the two-State solution.
	The Israeli Government argues that the construction of the wall is a necessary security measure. We fully understand Israel's security concerns and the need to take steps, within the law, to protect itself from terrorist attacks. But lasting peace can only be achieved through a negotiated settlement and not unilateral actions.

Morocco

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the government of Morocco regarding the recent arrest of Mr. Sidi Mohammed Daddach; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: Sidi Mohammed Daddach was held by the Moroccan authorities in Laayoune for a matter of hours before his release. Nevertheless, officials raised our concerns with the Moroccan authorities in April 2003. We will continue to monitor the situation closely, taking appropriate action where necessary.

United Arab Emirates

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 10 March 2003, column 33W, what action he is taking to seek redress for the period of Mr. Atkinson's detention from arrest to sentencing on 13 December 1999.

Mike O'Brien: We have advised Mr. Atkinson that questions about the application and interpretation of Dubai law should be pursued through his legal representatives in the United Arab Emirates.

United Arab Emirates

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the response of the Government of Dubai was to his note verbale concerning the detention of Mr. Atkinson; and what measures he took to follow up the note verbale.

Mike O'Brien: On 10 November 1998 our Embassy in Dubai sent a note verbale to the Government of Dubai about Mr. Atkinson's detention. On 4 April 1999 the Government of Dubai replied to the note stating that they had been in contact with the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) and had received confirmation that UNWGAD had accepted the Dubai Government's clarifications.

Nuclear Non-proliferation

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library copies of submissions by (a) the United Kingdom and (b) other states relevant to United Kingdom policy, to the Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, held in Geneva from 28 April; and if he will make a statement on compliance with the Treaty;
	(2)  what steps have been taken to implement the total elimination of nuclear weapons as agreed by the United Kingdom and the other states signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty which possess nuclear weapons, at the review and extension conference of the NPT in 2000;
	(3)  whether, in respect of commitments entered into in the final declaration of states party to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Review and Extension Conference in 2000, it is Her Majesty's Government's objective to achieve complete nuclear disarmament;
	(4)  what progress has been made in the last five years in improving United Kingdom verification techniques in respect of nuclear weapons;
	(5)  in what way Her Majesty's Government has implemented its commitment, made at the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty Review and Extension Conference 2000, to provide regular updates on progress towards nuclear disarmament.

Mike O'Brien: The second session of the Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) to the 2005 Review Conference on the implementation of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is currently meeting in Geneva (28 April to 9 May). The UK remains fully committed to all aspects of the NPT, including global and verifiable nuclear disarmament. The Head of the UK Delegation publicly reaffirmed this commitment to states party to the NPT on 29 April. We have also reaffirmed our commitment to the Decisions and Resolution of the 1995 Review Conference and the Final Document agreed at the 2000 Review Conference. The UK has also made clear that full compliance by all States Party is central to the object and purposes of the Treaty.
	At the second session of the PrepCom we also gave a comprehensive account of UK policies in all areas of implementation of the NPT. The UK's speech on 30 April set out some of the steps the UK has taken in recent years towards nuclear disarmament. The US, France, the Russian Federation and China also reported their progress and policies on implementation with their disarmament obligations.
	I have placed copies of these five general statements in the Library. I will also be placing copies of all other UK speeches made at this session of the PrepCom in the Library. In due course they can be accessed through the FCO internet site at www.fco.gov.uk.
	The UK circulated a working paper at the PrepCom on its research into the verification of nuclear disarmament. The UK presented the conclusions of this interim study at a seminar on 1 May in the margins of the PrepCom. I have also placed a copy of this working paper in the Library. We anticipate publishing a further paper for the 2004 session of the PrepCom and a consolidated paper at the Review Conference in 2005.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on (a) the recent increase in the use of the death penalty in Sudan, with particular reference to the Darfur region and (b) the use of special courts to try people under sharia.

Bill Rammell: We are concerned about the use of the death penalty in Sudan. On 26 April 2003 the Minister of Justice confirmed reports that the special courts in Darfur had been abolished. Instructions had been given that in future all trials should be conducted according to normal procedures, including defence lawyers and no military judges. Outstanding death sentences, imposed by the special courts, would be reviewed individually by the appeal court.

Western Sahara

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Morocco on human rights in the western Sahara, with particular reference to its action against the Forum for Truth and Justice.

Mike O'Brien: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 28 April 2003, Official Report, column 134W.
	In April this year FCO officials raised concerns over the trial, sentencing and prison conditions of a Forum for Truth and Justice activist with the Moroccan authorities. We have also raised concerns about travel restrictions on a small number of Saharawi activists, including some associated with the Forum for Truth and Justice. We continue to monitor the situation closely, and will take action with the appropriate authorities where necessary.

Western Sahara

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he plans to have with the interim President of the African Union on the western Sahara.

Mike O'Brien: None.

Western Sahara

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Moroccan Government on its proposal to increase substantially phosphate production in western Sahara.

Mike O'Brien: None.

Western Sahara

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Algeria on the western Sahara.

Mike O'Brien: I met Amine Kherbi, the Algerian Presidential Special Envoy, when he visited London to discuss Western Sahara last year. Foreign Office officials in London, Algiers and New York are in regular contact with their Algerian counterparts.

PRIME MINISTER

Cabinet Office

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister if he will bring the Cabinet Office under the aegis of a new Prime Minister's Department.

Tony Blair: There are no plans to change the status of the Cabinet Office.

Counselling Services

Paul Marsden: To ask the Prime Minister what arrangements are made in his Office to allow staff to access counselling services.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office gave him today.

E-mail Address

Harry Cohen: To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has to set up an official e-mail address.

Tony Blair: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Guildford (Ms Doughty) on 6 November 2002, Official Report, column 399W.

Entertainment Costs

James Gray: To ask the Prime Minister when he has entertained Labour hon. Members at public expense in the last 12 months; and at what cost.

Tony Blair: Hon. Members from all parties are invited to nominate and accompany their constituents to attend a children's tea or a tour of the building at 10 Downing street.
	For the total cost to my office for all official entertainment at 10 Downing street and Chequers, I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) on 28 February 2002, Official Report, columns 1444–48W, and the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 27 January 2003, Official Report, column 564W.
	As was the practice under previous Administrations, I have hosted a number of political events at Downing street. The costs of these were met by the Labour Party.

House of Lords Appointments Commission

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister what changes he proposes to make to the composition of the House of Lords Appointments Commission.

Tony Blair: None.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Prime Minister what compensation he plans to provide to all surviving civilians from families whose members were injured or killed by the use of United Kingdom weapons during the invasion of Iraq.

Tony Blair: Throughout the military conflict we have always tried to minimise the adverse effects of our actions on Iraqi civilians. We have always been, and will remain, in the forefront of efforts to help the Iraqi people.
	As the United Kingdom has acted in accordance with international law no issue of compensation arises.

Iraq

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Prime Minister how many former members of the Iraqi Ba'athist regime are claiming asylum in the UK.

Beverley Hughes: I have been asked to reply.
	The Home Office has no record of an asylum application from anyone with a credible claim to be a senior Ba'ath party member or member of the Iraqi regime. Any evidence to the contrary will be thoroughly investigated.
	All applicants for asylum are screened in order to establish their identity. Anyone who might be of security interest will be detained and referred to the appropriate agencies.

Official Gifts

George Osborne: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the official gifts he has received for his 50th birthday.

Tony Blair: The Government are committed to publishing an annual list of gifts received by Ministers in an official capacity valued at more than £140. The first ever list was published on 14 March 2003, Official Report, column 482W. Details of gifts received during 2003–04 valued at more than £140 will be published at the end of the current financial year.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Abu Hamza

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the withdrawal of benefits for Abu Hamza because of his alleged terrorist connections.

Malcolm Wicks: We do not disclose personal information in regard to an individual's benefit. This is in line with paragraph 12, Part 2, of the Code of Practice on access to Government information.

Accountancy Services

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total cost to his Department was for accountancy services in 2002–03.

Maria Eagle: The Department is unable to provide the information requested because DWP accounting systems record accountancy spend under the general headings of 'Consultancy and Professional Services'. Our current systems are not able to disaggregate expenditure to reflect the individual spend on accountancy services and a manual sift of the expenditure data could not be undertaken without incurring disproportionate cost.

Age Discrimination

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on his policy on the Central Office of Information's decision to reject a job application from a constituent of the hon. Member for Vauxhall, on the grounds that he is over the age of 60 and this contravenes their pension fund rules.

Douglas Alexander: I have been asked to reply.
	The job application was rejected on the grounds that the applicant is over 60 and this would contravene pension fund rules.
	The rejection was wrong.
	There is no bar in the civil service pension schemes to employment over the age of 60. Indeed there are large numbers of scheme members over that age.
	It is, in fact, COI's current retirement policy, agreed with its trade unions that it does not employ staff over 60. An apology was sent, explaining the error.
	However, it is acceptable under existing COI policy, for people over 60 to be employed on fixed term contracts, rather than on permanent terms.
	Correspondence with the applicant subsequent to the apology has indicated, implicitly, that his application would be considered, but this seems to have generated more confusion. COI has, therefore, sent an explicit statement offering, exceptionally, to extend the deadline for this applicant should he wish to apply.

Benefit Fraud

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many persons have been gaoled for benefit fraud since 1997.

Malcolm Wicks: pursuant to the reply, 31 March 2003, c. 592W
	The information is in the table.
	
		Custodial sentences(8)following investigations by Departmental Investigators
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1997–98 550 
			 1998–99 640 
			 1999–2000 640 
			 2000–01 660 
			 2001–02 650 
		
	
	(8) Imprisonment, Young Offenders Institute or custodial and fine.
	Source:
	Fraud Information By Sector and data from Counter-Fraud Investigation Division (Operations)
	(9)
	(10) The fraud database shows completed cases commenced in the relevant period. Due to the elapsed time between commencement of an investigation and completion of a prosecution there are cases that are inserted into previously completed data for earlier periods. All totals are therefore correct at the time when quoted but subject to adjustment at a later date.
	In accordance with National Statistics Guidelines all figures in the table are rounded to the nearest 10 with "—" indicating a figure of 5 or fewer. Due to rounding process the total will not necessarily agree.

Benefit Fraud

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many persons were (a) convicted and (b) acquitted of benefit fraud offences in each of the last three years, broken down by type of offence; how many of those convicted of each type of offence in each year were sentenced to (i) immediate custody and (ii) other disposals broken down by type of disposal; what the (A) mean average and (B) longest individual custodial sentence imposed in each year was for each type of offence; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: pursuant to my reply, 28 February 2003, c. 762W
	Information on benefit fraud by type of offence and the length of custodial sentences imposed following conviction are not recorded. The available information is in the table.
	Further analysis of investigation data has required revisions to previously published figures. The corrected data is shown in the table.
	
		Outcome of prosecutions following investigations by Departmental Investigators
		
			  Convictions   
			  Custodial sentences(11) Community sentences(12) Other sentences(13) Acquittals Total prosecutions 
		
		
			 1997–98 550 2,550 8,280 140 11,520 
			 1998–99 640 2,290 7,030 160 10,130 
			 1999–2000 640 2,210 6,270 140 9,270 
			 2000–01 660 2,700 8,040 180 11,580 
			 2001–02 650 3,070 7,470 170 11,360 
		
	
	(11) Imprisonment, Young Offenders Institute, custodial and fine
	(12) Community Service
	(13) Absolute discharge, conditional discharge, compensation only, admonishment, fine, community rehabilitation, suspended sentence, supervision order, Young Offenders Institute, attendance centre, unknown
	(14) The fraud database shows completed cases commenced in the relevant period. Due to the elapsed time between commencement of an investigation and completion of a prosecution there are cases that are inserted into previously completed data for earlier periods. All totals are therefore correct at the time when quoted but subject to adjustment at a later date
	Notes:
	1. In accordance with National Statistics Guidelines all figures are rounded to the nearest 10 with "—" indicating a figure of 5 or fewer.
	2. Due to rounding process the totals will not necessarily agree.
	Source:
	Fraud Information by Sector system and data from Counter-Fraud Investigation Division Operations
	(15)

Benefits

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants there were of (a) jobseeker's allowance, (b) incapacity benefit, (c) housing benefit and (d) lone parents on income support, in (i) May 1997 and (ii) the last year for which figures are available.

Malcolm Wicks: The information is in the table.
	
		Numbers of benefit recipients in Great Britain, May 1997 and May 2002
		
			 Benefit May 1997 May 2002 
		
		
			 Jobseeker's Allowance 1,406,300 827,500 
			 Incapacity Benefit 1,732,700 1,514,400 
			 Housing Benefit 4,639,000 3,813,000 
			 Income Support (Lone Parents) 1,013,500 856,300 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Jobseeker's Allowance, Incapacity Benefit and Income Support figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	2. Jobseeker's Allowance, Incapacity Benefit and Income Support figures are based on a 5 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to sampling variation.
	3. Jobseeker's Allowance and Incapacity Benefit figures do not include credits only cases.
	Sources:
	1. Jobseeker's Allowance Quarterly Statistical Inquiries, May 1997 and May 2002.
	2. Incapacity Benefit Quarterly Statistical Inquiries, May 1997 and May 2002.
	3. Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System Quarterly 100 per cent. caseload count, May 1997 and May 2002.
	4. Income Support Quarterly Statistical Inquiries, May 1997 and May 2002.

Benefits

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what work his Department has completed on the destinations of those people leaving each of the benefits of his Department for people of working age.

Malcolm Wicks: Information on the first destination of people leaving jobseeker's allowance is included in the Office for National Statistics' monthly publication "Labour Market Trends", copies of which are in the Library. The information may also be accessed on the National Statistics website at http://www.statistics. gov.uk/products/p550.asp.
	The Department is currently developing a system to collect similar information on people leaving income support and incapacity benefit. However, as this is not due to be implemented until the end of 2004, we plan to conduct a survey this summer of the destinations of people leaving income support and incapacity benefit as well as those leaving jobseeker's allowance whose destination is unknown.
	We are also well advanced in our plans to collect data from the Inland Revenue to provide information on how long people who have left working age benefits to enter work remain in employment.

Benefits

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list each benefit that is subject to a departmental benefit review; and for each of those benefits, what the estimated (a) percentage of customers who are receiving benefit at an incorrect rate, (b) percentage of customers receiving an underpayment, (c) percentage of customers receiving an overpayment, (d) grossed up number of customers receiving an underpayment, (e) grossed up number of customers receiving an overpayment, (f) average amount of weekly underpayment, (g) average amount of weekly overpayment, (h) grossed up annual underpayment and (i) grossed up annual overpayment is.

Malcolm Wicks: Not all of the information requested is available. However, the available information is in the following reports of departmental benefit reviews, copies of which are in the Library:
	
		
			 Report Publication date 
		
		
			 Housing Benefit Review — Main Stage Report January 1996 
			 Benefit Review Retirement Pension — Final Report March 1996 
			 Benefit Review Invalid Care Allowance — Report on Main Study July 1996 
			 Benefit Review Disability Living Allowance — Report on Main Study February 1997 
			 Benefit Review — The Review of Child Benefit and Child Benefit (Lone Parent) 1996–97 July 1998 
			 National Housing Benefit Accuracy Review 1997–98 August 1998 
			 Fraud and Error in Claims to Incapacity Benefit — The Results of the Benefit Review of Incapacity Benefit July 2001 
			 Fraud and Error in Income Support and Jobseeker's Allowance from April 2001 to March 2002 February 2003

Benefits

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of households below pensionable age had no-one in work and were dependent on benefit in each of the last 30 years.

Malcolm Wicks: Information is not available for the time period requested.
	The Family Resources survey can provide estimates from 1994–95 for Great Britain. This information is presented in the following table:
	
		Percentage of working age households
		
			 Year Workless households dependent on benefits 
		
		
			 1994–95 17 
			 1995–96 18 
			 1996–97 17 
			 1997–98 15 
			 1998–99 15 
			 1999–2000 15 
			 2000–01 14 
			 2001–02 14 
		
	
	Notes
	1. All figures are estimates and are taken from the Family Resources Survey (FRS). A consistent series is available from 1994–95. 2001–02 is the latest year for which data is available.
	2. Dependent on benefits has been defined as in receipt of Income Support, Jobseeker's Allowance/Unemployment Benefit, Incapacity Benefit/Invalidity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance.
	3. From October 1996 Jobseeker's Allowance replaced Unemployment Benefit and Income Support for unemployed people. Recipients of those benefits were automatically transferred to JSA.
	4. From April 1995 Incapacity Benefit replaced Sickness Benefit and Invalidity Benefit. Recipients of those benefits were automatically transferred to IB.
	5. Working age households contain at least one adult below pensionable age.
	6. Workless households contain no-one in work.
	7. Benefit receipt is based on self-assessment and therefore may be subject to misreporting.
	8. The estimates are based on sample counts that have been adjusted for non-response using multi-purpose grossing factors that control for tenure type, Council Tax Band and a number of demographic variables. Estimates are subject to sampling error and remaining response bias.
	Source
	Family Resources Survey, Great Britain

Child Poverty

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children have been removed from poverty since 1997; how many are estimated to be living in poverty; what targets he has for reducing child poverty; and if he will make a statement on progress towards reaching those targets.

Malcolm Wicks: Poverty and social exclusion are complex and multi-dimensional issues, affecting many aspects of peoples' lives—including their living standards, health, housing, the quality of their environment and not just low income. The fourth annual 'Opportunity for all' report published in September 2002 (Cm 5598) sets out the Government's strategy for tackling poverty and social exclusion and presents information on the indicators used to measure progress against this strategy.
	In April 2002 we published 'Measuring child poverty: a consultation document' to gather views on an appropriate measure of child poverty for the long term. This consultation was very well received and we plan to publish initial conclusions in May 2003.
	There is a shared Department for Work and Pensions/HM Treasury PSA target to reduce the number of children in low-income households by at least a quarter by 2004. Data for this is published in 'Households Below Average Income 1994–95 to 2001–02'. On this measure the number of children in low income fell by around half a million between 1996–97 and 2001–02. The baseline for the PSA target is 1998–99. We are making steady progress towards the target.
	All publications, statistics and targets quoted in this reply are in the public domain and are available in the Library.

Disability Employment Advisers

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disability employment advisers there have been in each year since 1992.

Nick Brown: Disability Employment Advisers (DEAs) within Jobcentre Plus provide support to people facing the complex barriers to work associated with disabilities. They can offer help with finding work and can refer people, where appropriate, to occupational health assessments, training and the full range of Jobcentre Plus disability programmes.
	The information is not available in the format requested, as figures are not collected centrally. However, we estimate there are currently around 700 DEAs employed by Jobcentre Plus (including Access to Work Advisers).

External Reports

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list (a) the title and subject, (b) the total cost to his Department and (c) the commissioned author or organisation of each external report commissioned by his Department and its predecessors in each year since 1997.

Maria Eagle: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Financial Support

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 20 March 2002, Official Report, column 921W, on financial support, what the average length of time to grant indefinite leave to remain on the basis of the domestic violence concession was in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and what financial support is available during that time to (a) women who are pregnant or with one or more children and (b) single women for (i) subsistence and (ii) housing costs, including funding for places at refuges for victims of domestic violence.

Malcolm Wicks: The Home Office is responsible for considering applications for indefinite leave to remain from victims of domestic violence, using the special provisions under the Immigration Rules. Information on the average length of time taken to decide on these applications is not available.
	DWP benefits are not available to people in these circumstances until the Home Office is satisfied that a marriage has broken down due to domestic violence, and the victim is given indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom. To allow access earlier would undermine the general principle that those who are subject to immigration control have no access to the benefits system.
	However, local authorities may be able to provide financial support to people with children under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989. Or where someone can prove that they are destitute and have no other means of support, help may be available through Section 21 of the National Assistance Act.

Housing Benefit

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his letter to the hon. Member for North Norfolk of 23 April 2003, which local authorities in Norfolk have been successful in applying for additional resources from the Performance Standards Fund in respect of handling housing benefit applications; which authorities have worked with the Housing Benefit Help Team; and which authorities are being closely monitored.

Malcolm Wicks: We have taken a number of steps to improve Housing Benefit administration. We have made an additional £200 million available through a Performance Standards Fund to help local authorities get over some of the barriers to improved performance. We have also set up a Housing Benefit Help Team, which works with local authorities to secure improvements, and we have introduced a system of monitoring and publishing local authority performance on a quarterly basis. Where the performance of an authority causes concern, the chief executive is being asked to provide details of how they intend to improve their benefits service and their performance is being monitored closely.
	There are seven local authorities in Norfolk. Of these, Broadland, Great Yarmouth, Kings Lynn and West Norfolk, North Norfolk and Norwich have so far been successful in applying for additional resources from the Performance Standards Fund; Breckland and Norwich have worked with the Housing Benefit Help Team; and we are also closely monitoring the performance of Breckland, Great Yarmouth and North Norfolk.

Information Technology

Howard Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his Department's (a) total managed expenditure, (b) total spending on information technology and (c) spending on information technology as a proportion of its total managed expenditure was in each financial year since 1997–98.

Maria Eagle: The contribution by the Department for Work and Pensions to total managed expenditure can be measured by the total of spending under resource and capital budgets, less non-cash items in AME. Data for 1997–98 to 2001–02 were published in the 2002 Departmental Report (Cm 5424).New estimates will be published in the same table in the 2003 Departmental Report.
	Total spending by the Department for Work and Pensions on information technology was £449 million in 2001–02. Of this expenditure, £38 million has been recovered from other Government Departments for work undertaken on their behalf. The Department for Work and Pensions was created in June 2001 by merging elements of the former Department of Social Security and the former Department for Education and Employment. Therefore comparable information on total spending on information technology for the years 1997–98 to 2000–01 is not available.

Invalid Care Allowance

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 6 May 2003, Official Report, column 552W, on invalid care allowance, if he will estimate in how many of the successful claims in each quarter by people over state pension age payment was not made because of the operation of the overlapping benefits regulations.

Maria Eagle: The available information is in the table.
	
		Carers Allowance: number of successful claims made by people over state pension age in Great Britain where the allowance was not in payment because of the overlapping benefit regulations at the end of each quarter from June 2001 to December 2002
		
			 Quarter to end of Successful claims not in payment 
		
		
			 September 2001 885 
			 December 2001 770 
			 March 2002 870 
			 June 2002 860 
			 September 2002 4,295 
			 December 2002 12,440 
		
	
	Source:
	100 per cent. data from the CA Computer System (CACS) supplied by Information and Analysis Directorate. Figures are rounded to the nearest 5.

Market Testing

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the estimated level of saving to the Department is from the use of market testing in 2002–03.

Maria Eagle: We have not undertaken any market testing programmes during 2002–03. Departments are no longer required to undertake a programme of market testing. They are, however, required to ensure that high quality public services are delivered on the basis of value for money in line with the Better Quality Services ethos.

Ministerial Duties

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what arrangements he has made for Ministers in his Department to carry out the duties of the right hon. Member for Makerfield (Mr. McCartney), with special reference to taking forward the proposals contained in his Green Paper on pensions.

Andrew Smith: Comprehensive arrangements were immediately put in place on 4 April 2003 for Ministers in my Department to carry out all of the duties formerly the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Member for Makerfield including taking forward the proposals contained in the Green Paper "Simplicity, security and choice: Working and saving for retirement" (Cm 5677).

Pensioners

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research he has commissioned regarding support for pensioners in (a) Ireland and (b) other EU member states.

Malcolm Wicks: The United Kingdom has contributed to the voluntary exchange of information and good practice by EU member states within a framework of common objectives on pensions covering adequacy, financial sustainability and modernisation. As part of this process, the EU spring council on 21 March adopted the joint commission and council report on Adequate and Sustainable Pensions which sets out the approach of each member state, including Ireland. A copy of the Joint Report is in the Library.
	In 2001, the Department published 'Cross-country comparisons of pensioners' incomes' by Richard Disney and Edward Whitehouse (DSS Research Report No.142). The research looked at 12 comparative studies of incomes and poverty among older people in OECD countries including Ireland.

Pensions

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he will review the introduction of a compulsory employer contribution to stakeholder pensions as part of the pensions green paper consultation.

Maria Eagle: There is no proposal in the Green Paper "Simplicity, security and choice: Working and saving for retirement", (Cm 5677), to introduce compulsory employer contributions to stakeholder pensions. However, the Government is keen to encourage employers to make pension contributions. As we pointed out in the Green Paper, employer contributions are a major factor in encouraging take up of stakeholder pensions by employees. The generous tax relief available on employers pension contributions supports this.
	The Government believe that the long-standing voluntarist pension system in this country, based on a partnership with employees, employers, pension providers and government all working together, is the way forward. The Green Paper put forward radical proposals to simplify the tax rules, provide better information about pension choices, help people to work for longer and provide more protection for employees whilst simplifying administration for those who run pension schemes. These proposals will renew the pensions partnership and make the voluntarist system work better.
	The Green Paper also announced the setting up of a pensions commission, chaired by Adair Turner, to provide an independent check on the progress of the voluntarist pension system and to make recommendations to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on whether there is a case for moving beyond the current voluntarist approach.

Pensions

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions where his Department has conducted research to assess the benefits of targeting pensions advice at workers that have recently entered new permanent positions.

Maria Eagle: The Green Paper 'Simplicity, security and choice: working and saving for retirement', recognised the vital part that the workplace plays in pension provision and set out the Government's proposals for working with employers to encourage and facilitate the provision of better pensions information to employees and prospective employees.
	To date no research has been conducted by my Department to assess the benefits of targeting pensions advice at employees that have recently entered new permanent posts. However, we are now concluding a wide-ranging consultation exercise in which we have sought views on the Green Paper proposals. We have received more than 800 written responses and we will be setting out our plans, including any plans for research in this area, in more detail in due course.

Pensions

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many submissions received during the online consultation on the pensions Green Paper were edited or amended before being made public.

Maria Eagle: 20 messages were edited before publication.
	11 appeared as 'edited' because the title of the message was changed so that it did not mislead people into thinking that replies to the 'message from the Minister' were from the Minister.
	5 edits were made to remove web links where the content of the website that was linked to was potentially libellous, and to remove names of individuals or companies that could also have been potentially unfair.
	4 were edited as they asked specific questions on their own pensions situation and there was concern about other participants giving them misleading advice. Those participants were given details of how to contact the relevant department for their concern.

Pensions

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many submissions were received during the online consultation on the pensions Green Paper; and how many submissions are not to be made public (a) because the author specifically asked for their comments to be kept private and (b) for other reasons.

Maria Eagle: A total of 186 messages were posted to the four forums.
	The online consultation was independently pre-moderated by the Hansard Society to ensure that comments posted through the discussion were appropriate and lawful.
	No comments were withheld from publication due to the request of the author.
	16 contributions were not made public, as they breached the rules published on the website. Of those, four were repeat postings—where people had posted the same message in all of the forums; and 12 were not published as they were off-topic.

Winter Fuel Allowance

David Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of men in their sixties who have been denied the winter fuel allowance because of missing the deadline for claims, in each year for which figures are available.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 16 January 2003
	The information is not held in the format requested. However, there have been around 13,800 late claims made in respect of the 2000–01 winter and around 5,100 in respect of the 2001–02 winter. For winters prior to 2000–01 claims for winter fuel payments are not time-limited.

LORD CHANCELLOR

Lewes Crown Court

Norman Baker: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many days Lewes Crown Court sat in the last year for which figures are available.

Yvette Cooper: During the financial year ending March 2003, 1,865 judicial days were sat at Lewes Crown Court.

Consultancies

Brian Cotter: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if she will list, by project, the consultancies his Department and its non-departmental public bodies have used on e-government projects since 1 January 2001.

Yvette Cooper: I shall write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

Judges' Lodgings, Telscombe

Norman Baker: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what income was derived from renting out the judges' lodgings in Telscombe in each year since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: The judges' lodgings in Telscombe is owned by the National Trust and has not been rented out since 1997.

Judges' Lodgings, Telscombe

Norman Baker: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how much has been spent on the judges' lodgings in Telscombe, broken down by (a) maintenance, (b) renovations, (c) staff costs and (d) other expenses, in each year since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: The spend on the judges' lodgings at Telscombe Manor in each year since 1997 is summarised in the table. It should be noted that the accounts draw no distinction between maintenance and renovation.
	
		£
		
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			 Property maintenance costs 30,837.00 15,643.18 22,478.00 46.295.06 29,776.00 
			 Staffing Costs 84,464.89 76,667.74 61,731.86 61,147.72 60,577.05 
			 Other expenses 91,497.64 77,156.35 58,702.35 70,884.33 69,128.18 
			 Total spend 206,799.53 169,467.27 142,912.21 178,327.11 159,481.23

Judges' Lodgings, Telscombe

Norman Baker: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what leisure services are provided for judges at the Telscombe lodgings; and how much these services cost.

Yvette Cooper: No leisure services are provided at the Telscombe lodgings.

Judges' Lodgings, Telscombe

Norman Baker: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many chauffeured cars are available for use by judges at Telscombe; what costs were incurred for providing chauffered cars in each of the last five years; and how many miles were travelled in chauffeured cars by judges residing at Telscombe in each of the last five years.

Yvette Cooper: One chauffeured car is available for the use of the judiciary when staying at the Lodgings at Telscombe and while sitting at the Crown Courts at Lewes and Hove. The cost of providing the service between 1997 and 2002 was:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			  
			  
			 1997–98 13,417 
			 1998–99 21,360 
			 1999–2000 12,037 
			 2000–01 13,090 
			 2001–02 14,924 
		
	
	No data is available on the number of miles travelled in chauffeured cars by members of the judiciary while residing at the Lodgings at Telscombe.

Judges' Lodgings, Telscombe

Norman Baker: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many nights judges' lodgings at Telscombe were occupied in each year since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: Occupation rates for the judges' lodging at Telscombe between 1997 and 2002 are contained in the table. The lodging was not able to be used in 2002–03 for health and safety reasons. Alternative accommodation for the judiciary at Lewes is being considered.
	
		
			  Judge nights 
		
		
			 1997–98 170 
			 1998–99 155 
			 1999–2000 120 
			 2000–01 125 
			 2001–02 60

Judges' Lodgings, Telscombe

Norman Baker: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the total cost was for judges' lodgings at Telscombe in each year since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: The total cost of running the Judges' Lodgings at Telscombe between 1997 and 2002 was:
	
		£
		
			  Cost 
		
		
			 1997–98 206,799.53 
			 1998–99 169,467.27 
			 1999–2000 142,912.21 
			 2000–01 178,327.11 
			 2001–02 159,481.23

Judges' Lodgings, Telscombe

Norman Baker: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many (a) formal lunch parties and (b) dinner parties were held at the judges' lodgings in Telscombe in each year since 1997; what the cost of these events was; and how many guests in total were invited.

Yvette Cooper: This information is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Postal Voting

Paul Keetch: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans the Lord Chancellor has to develop the use of postal voting in general elections; what criteria he will use to determine pilot constituencies; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 12 May 2003
	Postal voting on demand is available at all elections in Great Britain. Electoral pilot projects (including all postal voting pilots) can currently only be run at local elections. We are considering the results of this year's local election pilots and the implications for the future. The independent Electoral Commission is currently evaluating all the electoral pilot projects which took place on 1 May. We will consider carefully their assessment and any recommendations they may make.

Postal Voting

Paul Keetch: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will introduce all-posting voting at general elections.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 12 May 2003
	All postal voting is currently possible only in local elections. The independent Electoral Commission is currently evaluating all the electoral pilot projects which took place on 1 May, including the all-postal voting pilots. We will consider carefully their assessment and any recommendations they may make.

HEALTH

Accident and Emergency Services

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information about ambulance waits at accident and emergency departments has been collected since 1 January; where this information is kept; and what actions have been taken as a result of the collection of this information.

David Lammy: The Department has asked ambulance trusts to provide information on the number of delays of 15 minutes or more between the time of arrival of an ambulance at accident and emergency (A&E) and the hand-over of the patient to the care of the A&E staff.
	This information is fast track internal management information only and is not validated and of poor quality. Coverage is not complete and interpretation of the definition is inconsistent and it is therefore not appropriate for publication under exemption 11 of the code of practice on access to Government information.

Accident and Emergency Services

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health where the additional accident and emergency funding announced on 25 January 2001 has been spent; and what changes the additional spending has made to the performance of the accident and emergency departments involved.

David Lammy: A total of £150 million was invested in the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Modernisation Programme in three waves. On 25 January 2001, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced the final wave of funding totalling £35 million.
	The modernisation has improved the patient experience in A&E. This is a result of improved capacity and patient flows, improved environment for patients and staff and a reduction in clinical times lost between facilities.
	The A&E Modernisation Programme has enabled 180 A&E departments to be modernised. Work at 175, 97 per cent., of these has been completed.
	Information on the funding allocation to NHS trusts under the A&E Modernisation Programme has been placed in the Library.

Accident and Emergency Services

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to use career grade doctors to cover emergency 24 hour access to medical and surgical care.

David Lammy: At present, career grade doctors operate an on-call rota to cover emergency 24-hour access to medical and surgical care.

Agency Nurses and Doctors

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much each hospital trust in West Sussex spent on agency recruitment in (a) nurses and (b) doctors in (i) the last 12 months and (ii) for the previous five years.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 7 April 2003
	Information about how much each hospital trust in West Sussex spent on agency nurses and doctors is shown in the tables.
	
		Expenditure on non-NHS 'Nurses' by NHS Trusts and Primary Care Trusts in the West Sussex Region 1997–98 to 2001–02.
		
			 Trust name 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			 Brighton Health Care NHS Trust(16) 684,226 1,825,524 2,423,597 2,530,120 3,424,800 
			 Mid Sussex NHS Trust(16) 50,902 138,321 308,367 335,549 821,400 
			 Mid Sussex PCT n/a n/a n/a n/a 0 
			 Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust n/a 1,136,517 2,361,955 3,612,627 5,504,034 
			 Sussex Weald and Downs NHS Trust(17) 161,724 176,437 1,366,393 265,287 118,643 
			 The Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Trust 40,484 45,682 121,461 249,448 280,329 
			 The Royal West Sussex NHS Trust 130,610 126,878 20,650 172,024 707,769 
			 Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust 998,449 1,266,644 1,199,299 1,132,291 1,223,576 
			 Worthing Priority Care Services NHS Trust (17) 241,619 331,753 422,350 794,023 241,238 
			 West Sussex total 2,308,014 5,047,756 8,224,072 9,091,369 12,321,789 
		
	
	
		Expenditure on non-NHS 'Doctors' by NHS Trusts and Primary Care Trusts in the West Sussex Region 1997–98 to 2001–02.
		
			 Trust name 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			 Brighton Health Care NHS Trust(16) 313,792 193,364 221,020 218,760 339,176 
			 Mid Sussex NHS Trust (16) 695,739 792,400 958,106 1,071,226 1,723,626 
			 Mid Sussex PCT n/a n/a n/a n/a 0 
			 Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust n/a 1,043,486 1,450,586 1,236,600 1,245,739 
			 Sussex Weald and Downs NHS Trust (17) 127,602 145,971 167,613 706,414 1,122,924 
			 The Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Trust 9,266 411 8,426 42,177 138,725 
			 The Royal West Sussex NHS Trust 316,494 342,516 475,227 572,843 837,597 
			 Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust 524,915 566,162 582,773 825,392 738,674 
			 Worthing Priority Care Services NHS Trust(17) 281,772 398,916 371,164 555,944 959,818 
			 West Sussex total 2,269,580 3,483,226 4,234,915 5,229,356 7,106,279 
			 Total 'nurses' and 'doctors' in West Sussex 4,577,594 8,530,982 12,458,987 14,320,725 19,428,068 
		
	
	Notes:'Nurses' = Nursing, Midwifery and Heath Visiting Staff.'Doctors' = Medical Staff.
	(16) Brighton Health Care NHS Trust and Mid Sussex NHS Trust merged on 1 April 2002 to form Brighton & Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust.
	(17) Sussex Weald & Downs NHS Trust and Worthing Priority Care Services NHS Trust merged on 1 April 2002 to form West Sussex Health and Social Care NHS TrustSource:
	Annual financial returns of NHS Trusts
	Annual financial returns of Primary Care Trusts

Cardiovascular Disease

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to promote and facilitate (a) exercise programmes in the community and (b) other cardiovascular disease prevention initiatives.

Hazel Blears: The Government is committed to reducing the death rate from coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke and related diseases in people under 75 by at least 40 per cent., to 83.8 deaths per 100,000 population, by 2010. Prevention of CHD in the population and in high-risk patients by promoting physical activity, promoting healthy eating, reducing overweight and obesity and reducing smoking can make a significant contribution to this target.
	In order to inform and lead action on exercise across the National Health Service, the Department of Health, Sport England and the Countryside Agency are funding a £2.5 million programme of local exercise action pilots (LEAPs). The nine pilots, which will run for two years and are located in each of the nine English regions go live in September of this year.
	The Department of Health is also working with other Government Departments to implement a sport and physical activity board, to begin raising mass participation for young people and adults, particularly women and the elderly.
	The Department of Health is delivering a range of programmes and activities in line with policy commitments to promote healthy eating. Action includes the food and health action plan, the five-a-day programme and work with industry and the Food Standards Agency on salt, fat and sugar in food.
	The tobacco programme of work is focussed on delivering a reduction in the number of smokers. Between April 1999 and September 2002, over 481,000 people set a quit date with the help of the NHS smoking cessation services. Among other action underway, we are:
	funding tobacco control alliances across England to ensure action is taken locally;
	increasing the visibility of health messages highlighting the risks of smoking, particularly second hand smoke. The European Union Directive on the manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco products require tobacco products to carry larger and starker health warnings on both the front and back of the packet; and
	continuing the media campaign with hard hitting messages on the dangers of smoking.

Community Health Councils

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what additional funding he has provided to local authorities to take on responsibilities currently held by community health councils.

David Lammy: I refer the hon. Member to the response I gave the hon. Member for Southend West (Mr. Amess) on Thursday 3 April, Official Report, col. 853W.

Consultants

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to use consultants to cover 24-hour emergency access to both medical and surgical care.

David Lammy: At present, consultants operate an on-call rota to cover 24-hour emergency access to both medical and surgical care.

Foetus Viability

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has issued on when a foetus becomes viable.

Hazel Blears: The Department of Health has not issued guidance on when a fetus becomes viable. However, the British Association of Perinatal Medicine has produced a framework for practice for the management of fetuses and newborn infants at the threshold of viability. Also, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has issued guidance on issues relating to late abortion, fetal viability and registration of births and deaths.
	The World Health Organisation has defined the perinatal period as commencing at 22 completed weeks of gestation. Infants born between 22 and 28 weeks gestation have been described as having "threshold viability".

Food Labelling

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 27 March 2003, Official Report, column 397W, on food labelling, for what reasons the number of informal samples of foodstuffs declined in the last 10 years; and what measures he is taking to reverse the trend.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 6 May 2003
	The responsibility for the enforcement of food labelling Regulations and associated food sampling under the Food Safety Act 1990 rests with local authorities. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has raised its concerns about the decline in local authority food sampling activity and is taking forward a number of initiatives with local authorities to reverse the trend.
	There appears to be no single cause for the fall in sampling. The FSA has carried out a focussed audit programme to examine local authority sampling and make recommendations. A report will be published later this year.
	The FSA is already taking action to help to ensure that effective food sampling arrangements are in place in all local authorities. The FSA is working with local authorities co-ordinators of regulatory services (LACORS) to develop better co-ordination and targeting of food and feed standards sampling throughout the United Kingdom. Local authorities and public analysts are also being involved more closely in the FSA's own food surveillance activities.
	The FSA is also working with LACORS and with the association of public analysts to develop a UK samples database, which will help local authorities to target their sampling programmes more effectively.
	More emphasis has also been placed on sampling in the revised statutory code of practice, which is currently out for consultation. Under the code, local authorities are required to prepare and publish a food sampling policy and programme and make these available to food businesses and consumers. The FSA will also be providing more practical guidance on sampling for local authority enforcement officers.

Food Standards Agency

Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the Food Standards Agency has spent in the last two years on research into (a) Basmati rice, (b) balsamic vinegar and (c) sodium alternatives.

Hazel Blears: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has funded five projects over the past two years on Basmati rice. Three projects dealt with improving and evaluating an innovative DNA method used to check adulteration of Basmati rice. One has applied electronic nose technology to determine sensory properties more accurately and a fifth has applied a new DNA approach to authenticating Basmati rice. The total spend over the two years has been £148, 217.
	The FSA is funding a project on a method to check speciality vinegars, a part of which includes balsamic vinegar. The spend so far has been £15, 661, but it is not possible to apportion specifically the spend on balsamic vinegar. There have been no projects funded which deal with sodium alternatives during this period.

Health Care-acquired Infections

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many wards have been shut down to prevent the spread of healthcare-acquired infections in each of the last three years.

Hazel Blears: There are no centrally held statistics on the number of ward closures in hospital trusts due to healthcare associated infections.
	However, the Department of Health does collect data on methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (MRSA) for every acute National Health Service hospital trust in England, as part of a mandatory surveillance scheme for healthcare associated infection. Results for the first year of this scheme, from April 2001 to March 2002, were published in the Communicable Disease Report Weekly or· 20 June 2002 and are available on the Public Health Laboratory Service website at www.phls.co.uk/publications/cdr/PDFfiles/2002/cdr2502.pdf.

Health Protection Agency

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 1 April, Official Report, column 688W, on the Health Protection Agency, if he will list the programmes; and what slippage has occurred to contribute to the underspends of revenue and capital.

Hazel Blears: The total funds identified amounted to a small proportion of the combined turnover of the three organisations and cover a number of projects across the spectrum of their activity, both for revenue and capital expenditure. The reasons for the slippages are similarly varied, for example, delays in advertising new posts or in ensuring that capital investment projects had proper justification and approval. An example of the former is the creation of a travel health advice service, which comprised a consortium of the Public Health Laboratory Service, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University College, London and the University of Liverpool. Here, the development of advertisements for new staff took longer than expected. An example of the latter is the upgrading of the communications facilities at the Colindale site. Both of these projects are now moving forward.
	The Health Protection Agency is factoring into its business planning how projects which have suffered delays may be brought up to speed.

Heart Disease (Women)

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what public health education programmes he has launched aimed at the risk of heart disease in women.

Hazel Blears: Programmes in place to tackle the risk factors for coronary heart disease in the general population are aimed at both women and men. These take a life-course approach and focus upon diet and nutrition, reducing overweight and obesity, increasing physical activity and reducing the prevalence of smoking.
	It is also a Government priority to reduce the proportion of women continuing to smoke throughout pregnancy, focusing especially on smokers in low-income groups. This is reflected in a key target for the National Health Service for 2003–06.
	In support of these commitments, the Department of Health has continued to build upon the 'ABC' poster campaign, which commenced in 2001, highlighting the lesser known risks associated with smoking during pregnancy. The £250,000 campaign is aimed primarily at 18–24 year old pregnant women in low income groups, their partners and families. Since 2001 the Department of Health has also distributed £6.8 million of extra funding to continue the development of smoking cessation services tailored for pregnant smokers.

Hyperactive Children

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the effect of sugar intake on hyperactivity of children.

Hazel Blears: The Department has not carried out research on the effect of sugar intake on hyperactivity. However, research published to date has not confirmed an association between sugar intake and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children or adults.

Local Food

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the FSA Report on Local Food; and when he expects to publish a response to it.

Hazel Blears: The report, Local Food—a snapshot of the sector, was produced by a cross-departmental working group on local food and published on 9 April.
	The group's aims were to consider the evidence relating to the impacts of local food initiatives and the wider issues relating to local food, so that Government policy in this area could be developed.
	The development of the food and health action plan will consider all aspects of nutrition policy, including strengthening links to related areas of food and farming policy, such as local food. The local food report should be a valuable resource for this work.
	The Department of Health is already exploring the potential contribution of the local food sector to health goals, for example through the five-a-day programme, including the National School Fruit Scheme. We are also exploring how National Health Service food purchasing policy can better support sustainable development objectives and increase opportunities for local and United Kingdom businesses.

Motor Neurone Disease

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the proposed use of cloning by the Roslin Institute to research a cure for motor neurone disease.

Hazel Blears: I am aware of media reports that the Roslin Institute is proposing to conduct research into the treatment of motor neurone disease using stem cells derived from embryos created by cell nuclear replacement, known as therapeutic cloning. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, which licenses research involving human embryos, has advised me that it has yet to receive such a licence application.

NHS Dentists

Joyce Quin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dentists have transferred wholly to private practice in each of the last five years.

David Lammy: The information requested is not available centrally. The information collected is for the number of dentists treating National Health Service patients. This number rose by 1,672 between 1997 and 2002. The number is for the net increase after allowing for those leaving or joining.

NHS Direct

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on plans for a national patient database, referred to in the strategy document, Developing NHS Direct.

David Lammy: The creation of a national patient database will allow NHS Direct nurses to handle calls from patients from any part of England and thus will help make best use of NHS Direct resources.

Obesity

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions took place between his Department and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the Cadbury initiative with the Youth Sport Trust on assessing the effects chocolate has on obesity; and whether he expects an increase in the amount of confectionery consumed by children following the introduction of the initiative.

Hazel Blears: Getting children and young people to be more active through increased participation in physical activity and sport, together with a healthy, balanced diet is key for the prevention of obesity. Increasing levels of physical activity across the whole population is a top priority across government. The Cadbury initiative, "Get Active", is not a Government initiative and the Department of Health was not, therefore, consulted.
	To prevent and manage obesity, consumption of food high in fat and/or added sugar, such as chocolate, should be kept to a minimum, accompanied by increased levels of physical activity. Food consumption by children is assessed by the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS). The NDNS published in 2000 showed that the average consumption of chocolate confectionery in males aged four to 18 years was 138 grams per week and in females aged four to 18 years 115 grams per week. Further assessments will be carried out in future surveys.

Obesity

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on his Department's working relationship with the International Obesity Taskforce; and what the latest figures are for childhood obesity in (a) Teesside and (b) the UK.

Hazel Blears: The Department of Health recognises that the International Obesity Taskforce (IOT) is an important organisation working on issues relating to obesity. Although the department does not have close links with the IOT, it has provided us with information on a range of issues on obesity.
	In relation to childhood obesity, the Health Survey for England 2001 showed that 8.5 per cent., of six year olds and 15 per cent., of 15-year-olds are obese. Information is not available for Teesside.

Domiciliary Oxygen

Bob Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what response he has made to the recommendations of the Royal College of Physicians on ambulatory and domiciliary oxygen supply.

David Lammy: We have been reviewing the domiciliary oxygen supply in the light of the report from the Royal College of Physicians. I hope to announce the outcome of that review shortly.

Pharmacies

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to safeguard the future of local pharmacies and chemists within the national health service.

David Lammy: We are committed to improving access to pharmacies and to driving up the quality of the services they provide for patients. We are currently discussing with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee and the NHS Confederation a new national contractual framework to support these objectives. We aim to have this in place by April 2004. Additionally, national health service primary care trusts can devise contracts for local pharmaceutical services, which address particular needs.

Public Health

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action his Department intends to take to implement the recommendations in the 1988 Public Health in England report by the Chief Medical Officer on revising the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984.

Hazel Blears: Public Health in England was commissioned by a previous Government. Its recommendation, that the then Department of Health and Social Security
	"should revise the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 with a view to producing a more up to date and relevant legislative backing to control of communicable disease and infection", was taken forward by publication of a consultation document Review of Law on Infectious Disease Control in 1989. However, the then Government did not subsequently put before Parliament proposals for changes to the 1984 Act.
	We made clear in Getting Ahead of the Curve, the strategy for health protection published by the Chief Medical Officer in January 2002, that we intend to carry out a review of the infectious disease law. This review will take account not only of changes to local government and the National Health Service since 1988, including, most recently, the creation of the Health Protection Agency, but also of the new emergency powers which it is planned to provide through the Civil Contingencies Bill.

Public Health

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will introduce a consolidating piece of legislation which defines citizens' rights to access to public health services.

Hazel Blears: There are no plans to do so.

Royal Shrewsbury Hospital

Mr. Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what additional financial assistance will be given to the Royal Shrewsbury hospital in 2003–04 to improve cancer services.

David Lammy: In the financial year 2003–04, the Royal Shrewsbury hospital National Health Service Trust will receive the following funding for cancer services:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 Breast cancer prognostic testing 24,000 
			 NICE allocations for cancer 225,000 
			 Endocopy/colonoscopy 125,000 
			 General growth in clinical oncology and clinical oncologists 34,000 
		
	
	Source:Royal Shrewsbury Hospital NHS Trust

Salt

Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on salt intake in food in the UK.

Hazel Blears: At the request of the Food Standards Agency (FSA), the Scientific Committee on Nutrition has reviewed the evidence on the public health implications of dietary salt intakes of the United Kingdom population. It is expected that the committee will publish its report on this shortly. Papers relating to the Committee's work on this matter are available on its website at www.SACN.gov.uk.
	It is likely that the committee will support previous expert advice that significant public health gains would be achieved if consumers, including children, reduced their salt intake. In anticipation of this the FSA, working in conjunction with the Department of Health, has been in discussion with food industry organisations about reducing salt levels in processed food which contributes most to current salt intakes in the UK.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the alert on severe acute respiratory syndrome was disseminated to (a) health professionals and (b) the public.

Hazel Blears: The Department of Health issued information and advice to all general practitioners, trusts and public health professionals on Friday 14 March and on Monday 7 April via the Chief Medical Officers Public Health Link System. The Department also issued advice to the public and travellers about severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) through its website, which is reviewed on a daily basis.
	Following the statement in the House by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health, on 28 April, a letter went to all chief executives of national health service primary care trusts, reminding them of the precautionary action they need to take in their own organisations in case of further possible cases of SARS presenting to the NHS.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will allocate funding for a vaccine to counter severe acute respiratory syndrome.

Hazel Blears: The probable causative pathogen of severe acute respiratory syndrome has only recently been identified. There is still a certain amount of scientific work to be carried out before we can start research into the development of a vaccine.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received on the level of satisfaction amongst health professionals with the (a) adequacy and (b) timeliness of information on severe acute respiratory syndrome.

Hazel Blears: We have provided early, accurate information to both the public and the health service in response to the World Health Organisation (WHO) global alert about severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) contacted all doctors on 14 March and subsequently on 7 April with detailed information on the symptoms and signs of SARS, and what to do if they encountered a possible case. Up to date information on SARS is also available to the public on the WHO, Health Protection Agency and Department of Health websites, as well as through the NHS Direct telephone helpline, which many members of the public have contacted.
	The CMO issued advice to people travelling abroad on 2, 23 and 30 April in line with WHO recommendations. He strongly advised against travel to specific SARS affected areas. That remains his very strong advice.
	As a result of this timely response, to date we have had only six probable cases of SARS in the United Kingdom against a total of 6,583 in 27 countries.

Statutory Instrument(Food Supplements Directive)

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to publish the Statutory Instrument on the Food Supplements Directive.

Hazel Blears: The Food Standards Agency expects The Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003 to be published in June 2003.

Stroke Treatment

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to conduct an investigation into the treatment of stroke patients at Eastbourne District General Hospital since 1992; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The Department has no plans to investigate the treatment of stroke patients at Eastbourne District General Hospital.
	The Commission for Health Improvement (CHI) was set up by the Government to improve the quality of patient care in the National Health Service across England and Wales. CHI started operating on 1 April 2000 and has a programme underway which aims to reduce unacceptable variations in care and ensure that every NHS patient receives a high level of care. The patient's experience is at the heart of CHI's work and one of CHI's four statutory functions is to conduct investigations into serious service failures in the NHS.

Sunbeds

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with the British Medical Association regarding health risks associated with the use of sunbeds; and if he will make a statement on health risks associated with the use of sunbeds.

Hazel Blears: No discussions have taken place with the British Medical Association regarding health risks associated with the use of sunbeds.
	Available evidence suggests that it is likely that ultra violet radiation (UV) exposure from sunbeds will contribute to the risk of adverse health effects, particularly skin cancers (and cataracts, if protective eyewear is not worn) and that certain groups of people will be at an increased level of risk.
	The report from the National Radiological Protection Board's Advisory Group on Non-Ionising Radiation (AGNIR): Health Effects of Ultra Violet Radiation, published in January 2002 (ISBN: 0–85951–474–7), recommended that the use of sunbeds and sunlamps for cosmetic tanning should be discouraged. This only applies to cosmetic tanning and not to the use of sunbeds and sunlamps as part of medical treatment, where the benefits and potential risks need to be assessed in a clinical context.
	The International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection's report, published in February 2003, concluded, "any use of suntanning appliances is likely to raise the risk of skin cancer". It recommended "against the use of W-emitting appliances for tanning or other non-medical purposes" and set out the groups of people who should not use sunbeds. The report concludes that there is no conclusive direct evidence that sunbed exposure causes skin cancer.
	For those people who choose to use cosmetic tanning equipment, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) advise in its leaflet "Controlling Health Risks From The Use of UV Tanning Equipment" (IND (G) 20910195) that it is best not to exceed 20 sessions per year and that certain groups of people are advised not to use tanning equipment.
	No sufficient conclusive direct evidence is available at present to justify a ban on the use of UV sunbeds.

Thrombolytic Treatment

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what targets have been set for the NHS on the wait for eligible patients between their call for professional help and receiving thrombolytic treatment.

Hazel Blears: The national service framework for coronary heart disease and the NHS Plan, both published in 2000, set a service standard of 60 minutes from the time of calling for professional help for the administration of thrombolytic treatment to clinically eligible heart attack patients. This standard is reflected in the Priorities and Planning Framework 2003–2006, published in October 2002, which required the national health service to deliver a 10 percentage point increase per year over the national figure for 2002 of 38 per cent. of patients treated within the 60 minute target period.

Thrombolytic Treatment

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of eligible patients waited less than 60 minutes between their call for professional help and receiving thrombolytic treatment, (a) for the latest day for which figures are available and (b) for previous recent periods in the last 12 months for which data was collected.

Hazel Blears: National data show that for the first quarter of 2003, 43 per cent., of clinically eligible heart attack patients were treated with thrombolytic drugs within 60 minutes of calling for professional help. The overall figure for 2002 was 37 per cent., rising from 32 per cent., in the first quarter to 38 per cent., 39 per cent., and 40 per cent., respectively in the subsequent quarters.

Thrombolytic Treatment

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence he has collated on the number of lives that could be saved by reducing the time between (a) the onset of symptoms and (b) arrival in hospital and the start of thrombolytic treatment.

Hazel Blears: Studies involving more than 150,000 patients have demonstrated the overwhelming benefit of treating heart attack patients with thrombolytic drugs within 12 hours of developing symptoms. Early treatment results in 65 lives per 1,000 saved if patients are treated within the first hour and 37 lives per 1,000 if treated within the first two hours.

EU Committees

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list (a) the names, titles and grades of the officials who sit on the EU committee on the approximation of the laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the member states concerning the manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco products, (b) the number of times, and the dates, on which it has met since January 2002, (c) the agenda items it has considered since January 2002, (d) the decisions it has made since January 2002 and (e) the means used to communicate the decisions to the House.

Hazel Blears: The Tobacco Policy Team leader, Grade 6, sits on the committee established under article 10 of Directive 2001/37/EC. The committee has met twice since January 2002, on 23 September 2002 and 10 February 2003. The first meeting was inquorate. The second adopted its rules of procedure and primarily discussed the European Commission's draft decision on the use of photographic warnings on tobacco packaging. No decisions were taken on the use of photographic warnings, as the Commission is due to circulate a further draft, on which the committee will be invited to submit an opinion. There was also a general discussion at this second meeting on the implementation of the Directive in member states.

Tuberculosis

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the incidence of tuberculosis in the United Kingdom in each of the last 10 years.

Hazel Blears: The incidences of tuberculosis for England and Wales reported to the Health Protection Agency and formerly the Public Health Laboratory Service are shown in the table.
	
		
			 Year Incidence rates per 100,000 of the population 
		
		
			 1992 11.31 
			 1993 11.51 
			 1994 10.83 
			 1995 10.82 
			 1996 10.87 
			 1997 11.22 
			 1998 11.61 
			 1999 11.66 
			 2000 12.41 
			 2001 12.90

Weil's Disease

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of Weil's disease there were in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Hazel Blears: The numbers of cases of human leptospirosis (Well's Disease) in England and Wales reported to the Health Protection Agency's Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre over the last five years are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1998 30 
			 1999 41 
			 2000 54 
			 2001 27 
			 2002 48 
			 Total 200

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Millennium Dome

Mike Hancock: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement about the future of the Millennium Dome; and when he expects to be able to stop putting public money into the project.

Tony McNulty: English Partnerships (EP) took over full responsibility for the Dome in July 2001. It will remain responsible for the Dome, and will continue to pay for its upkeep, until the commercial deal between EP and Meridian Delta Ltd (MDL) becomes unconditional. EP and MDL signed contracts on 29 May 2002, to develop much of the Greenwich Peninsula, including a new use for the Dome. The deal is conditional primarily on securing a planning permission satisfactory to the contracting parties.
	On 23 December 2002, MDL, EP, Anschutz Entertainment Group and Quintain Estates and Development submitted a planning application to the London Borough of Greenwich (LBG), for a 26,000 capacity arena inside the Dome, with associated facilities, and a new masterplan covering 190 acres of the Greenwich Peninsula.
	LBG's Planning Committee considered the planning application on 16 April 2003 and resolved unanimously that it is minded to grant permission subject to a number of conditions and resolution of section 106 negotiations. The next stage, as part of the normal planning process, will be for LBG to refer the application to the Mayor and First Secretary of State.
	As the application is going through the statutory planning process it is not possible to say when the Dome will be handed over to the private sector. While EP is responsible for meeting the costs of maintaining the Dome, it continues to seek short-term and one-off events to keep the Dome in use and help defray costs.

Millennium Dome

Mike Hancock: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much the costs of maintaining the Millennium Dome have been each month; and from which departmental budget this money has come.

Tony McNulty: English Partnerships (EP) took over full responsibility for the Dome in July 2001, and will continue to fund its management and maintenance until the commercial deal between EP and Meridian Delta Ltd (MDL) becomes unconditional.
	EP meets the costs associated with the Dome from resources made available to it by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. The average monthly cost incurred by EP for management, maintenance and security, including associated staff costs, for the period July 2001 to February 2003, was around £250,000, or £5 million for the whole period.
	In addition to the management, maintenance and security of the Dome, EP has also incurred Dome-related costs, up until the end of February 2003, comprising: £6.5 million for decommissioning the contents of the Dome and its site in preparation for the future long-term use; £6.3 million in connection with the current sale process; and £6.7 million for the previous competition to find a long-term use for the Dome.
	All of the above costs amount to a total figure of £24.5 million, to the end of February 2003. These costs will be recovered from sale proceeds.

Millennium Dome

Nigel Evans: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total cost has been to public funds of the millennium Dome project.

Tony McNulty: pursuant to the answer, 10 April 2003, Official Report, c. 357W
	The New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC), was responsible for building the Dome and running the Millennium Experience. NMEC was allocated £628 million of National Lottery funds from the Millennium Commission for the Millennium Experience, which included the associated national programme of events across the United Kingdom as well as the Dome at Greenwich. NMEC is currently in solvent liquidation and it is expected that some £25 million of this grant facility will not be required.
	Up to the end of December 2002, English Partnerships (EP) had incurred a total cost of £23.5 million. This includes, from 1 July 2001—when EP took over the ownership of the Dome—£4.6 million for the management, maintenance and security of the Dome; £6.5 million for decommissioning the contents of the Dome and its site in preparation for the future long-term use; and £5.7 million in connection with the sale process. It also includes £6.7 million for the previous competition to find a long-term use for the Dome. All of these costs incurred by EP in relation to the Dome will be recovered from sale proceeds.

Criminal Offences

Simon Hughes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list, broken down by Act, the criminal offences created in legislation sponsored by his Department and its predecessors since 1997.

Christopher Leslie: The following information covers Acts of Parliament for which the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has current responsibility.
	The Regional Development Agencies Act 1998 created two new offences in relation to rights of entry.
	The Local Government Act 1999 created one new offence. This Act also gives my right. hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister a power to make regulations, breach of which may also constitute an offence. The Greater London Authority Act 1999 created 17 offences and confers bylaw making powers, breach of which may also constitute an offence.
	The Local Government Act 2000 created 4 offences.
	The Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2000 created 2 offences.

Document Classification

Harry Cohen: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many documents are held by his Office that are subject to security classification, broken down by category of classification.

Christopher Leslie: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for Paisley, South (Mr. Alexander) on 7 May 2003, Official Report, column. 696w.

Empty Properties

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cost was to his Department and his Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies of their empty and under-utilised properties in each year since 1997.

Christopher Leslie: Since the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was set up on 29 May 2002 the cost of its vacant accommodation on its central estate is estimated to have been £153,370 in lost rental. The cost to its Agencies in lost rental since 1 April 2002 is estimated to have been £267,590. The information for Non Departmental Public Bodies is not held centrally and can only be provided at disproportionate cost. All are vacant and on the market.

Footpaths

Andrew Bennett: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had with the Ordnance Survey about the recording of footpaths which are not designated as (a) public rights of way on the Carneddu and (b) footpaths and bridleways on the Glyders in Snowdonia, until such time as they are registered as public rights of way under the historic paths requirement of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.

Tony McNulty: I have not had discussions with Ordnance Survey on this specific issue, however it is Ordnance Survey policy to depict all designated rights of way on the OS Explorer and OS Landranger Series when supported by confirming information from the footpath authorities. Many undesignated footpaths are also depicted on these map series where there is clear evidence for their existence on the ground.
	Footpaths and bridleways to be registered as rights of way under the historic paths requirement of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 will be added to OS Explorer and OS Landranger maps following the receipt of confirming details from the footpath authorities.

Homelessness (Redbridge)

Linda Perham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to relieve homelessness in the London Borough of Redbridge.

Barbara Roche: The Homelessness Directorate's report "More than a roof" sets out specific measures to tackle homelessness backed up by a £125 million investment in 2002–03 and £260 million over the following three years.
	The Homelessness Directorate has allocated funding to the London Borough of Redbridge which consists of:
	(a) £426,245 in 2002–03 and a further £260,000 for 2003–04 to help them reduce the number of homeless families with children in bed and breakfast hotels (B&B) and meet the national commitment of ensuring that by March 2004, no homeless family with children is placed in B&B other than in an emergency and even then for no more than six weeks.
	(b) £32,000 in 2002–03 to develop homeless services and £32,000 in 2003–04 to help them support a voluntary sector provider to carry out a mediation and reconciliation service to prevent homelessness amongst young people, and to provide a floating support and tenancy sustainment service for those to whom a homelessness duty is accepted where prevention is not possible. This aims to prevent a re-occurrence of homelessness and rough sleeping.
	In relation to the number of people sleeping rough, figures show that over the past few years Redbridge has maintained a very low number of no more than five people sleeping rough on any one night.

Housing

Frank Field: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much the Merseyside Housing Renewal Group are paying in fees to Grimley in the first year of operation; and whether other professional fees are being paid during this start-up period.

Tony McNulty: The Merseyside Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder has been awarded £2.66 million from the Capital Modernisation Fund. This funding will cover the costs to develop a strategic scheme for the Merseyside sub-region and to undertake some early action. Eligible costs include professional fees. The use of the funding is a matter for the Pathfinder Board, subject to the terms of the funding agreement issued by Government.

Local Elections

Bob Russell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will move polling day for future local elections to a Sunday.

Christopher Leslie: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has no plans to move polling day for future local elections to a Sunday. As my right hon. Friend the Member for Greenwich and Woolwich (Mr. Raynsford) said in a written statement to the House on 6 May 2003, Official Report, column 29WS, the Government intends to take forward further pilots of weekend voting in view of potential benefits to electors, and taking into account the costs involved.

Local Government Ombudsman

Bob Blizzard: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister by what means the Local Government Ombudsman is accountable to the public; and how his work is monitored.

Christopher Leslie: The Commission for Local Administration in England (Local Government Ombudsman) was established by the Local Government Act 1974. It is treated as a specified body for the purposes of the Local Government Finance Act 1988 and receives funding as a deduction ('top slice') from Revenue Support Grant. The Commission is required under the Local Government Act 1974 to publish an annual report and submit the report to such persons as appear to the Commission to represent local authorities. The Commission makes this report publicly available, including via the Ombudsman's website. The report is available in the Library of the House.
	The Ombudsman's investigations are wholly independent of the Government, and as regards matters of legality may be subject to judicial review.

Newspaper Advertising

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the expenditure of his (a) Department and its predecessors, (b) agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies was on newspaper advertising, by title, in each year since 1997; and what estimate he has made for 2003–04.

Christopher Leslie: Information on newspaper advertising expenditure for each year since 1997 by agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is responsible is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Overhanging Debt

Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total value was of payments made to pay off overhanging debt in the financial years (a) 1999–2000, (b) 2001–02 and (c) 2002–03.

Nick Raynsford: The payments made in respect of overhanging debt in each financial year since arrangements were introduced are set out in the table.
	
		
			 Year £ million 
		
		
			 1999–2000 21.0 
			 2000–01 255.2 
			 2001–02 None 
			 2002–03 584.3

Postal Voting

Paul Keetch: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the change in turnout in elections in each local council area in England which held all-postal vote elections on 1 May was when compared with turnout in the previous local council election; and if he will make a statement.

Christopher Leslie: Turnout at each of the all-postal pilot elections in May 2003 is shown in the table.
	
		
			 Name of authority Year of comparable election Percentage of turnout at last comparable election Type of election this time (full/third) Percentage turnout 2003 Change in percentage since last comparable election 
		
		
			 Blackpool BC 2000 29 Whole 50.43 21 
			 Blyth Valley BC 1999 27 Whole 52.00 25 
			 Bolton MBC 2002 32 Thirds 42.00 10 
			 Brighton and Hove City C 1999 38 Whole 45.96 8 
			 Chesterfield BC 1999 35 Whole 51.69 17 
			 Copeland BC 1999 39 Whole 55.70 17 
			 Corby BC 1999 31 Whole 43.00 12 
			 Darlington BC 1999 34 Whole 51.54 17 
			 Derwentside, Chester-le- Street and Wear Valley (Joint Pilot) 1999 31 Whole 52.40 21 
			 Doncaster C 2002 29 Thirds 47.00 18 
			 East Staffordshire BC 1999 34 Whole 44.97 11 
			 Gateshead MBC(18) 2002 57 Thirds 54.65 -2 
			 Guildford BC 1999 37 Whole 54.00 17 
			 Herefordshire CC 1999 38 Whole 61.00 23 
			 Hyndburn BC 2002 36 Thirds 51.47 15 
			 Kings Lynn and West Norfolk 1999 36 Whole 47.66 12 
			 Lincoln City C 2002 26 Thirds 47.33 21 
			 Newcastle City C 2002 32 Thirds 49.83 18 
			 North Lincolnshire 1999 33 Whole 51.28 18 
			 North Shropshire DC 1999 33 Whole 47.00 14 
			 Redcar and Cleveland BC 1999 37 Whole 51.50 14.50 
			 Rotherham MBC 2002 27 Thirds 51.30 24 
			 Rushcliffe BC 1999 40 Whole 54.00 14 
			 Salford City C 2002 25 Thirds 41.00 16 
			 Sedgefield BC 1999 30 Whole 44.15 14 
			 St. Edmundsbury BC 1999 38 Whole 38.50 0 
			 St. Helens MBC 2002 26 Thirds 48.00 22 
			 Stevenage BC(18) 2002 53 Thirds 52.20 -1 
			 Stockton-on-Tees BC 1999 31 Whole 52.00 21 
			 Sunderland City C 2002 22 Thirds 46.46 24 
			 Trafford MBC(18) 2002 53 Thirds 52.39 -1 
			 Telford and Wrekin 1999 28 Whole 48.65 19 
			 Wansbeck DC 1999 32 Whole 50.20 18 
		
	
	(18) Comparisons for Gateshead, Stevenage and Trafford are with previous all-postal elections
	It is clear that all-postal voting has produced a significant increase in turnout, with an average across all 33 pilots of just under 50 per cent. The Electoral Commission, as required by statute, are evaluating each pilot scheme.

Postal Voting

Bob Russell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received about abuses in the postal vote system in the May local government elections in England; what steps he is taking to investigate alleged abuses; and if he will make a statement.

Christopher Leslie: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister receives occasional correspondence about concerns with postal voting. Investigation of alleged abuses in the voting system is a matter for the returning officer concerned, the police, and the Crown Prosecution Service.
	The Electoral Commission is carrying out a full evaluation of all electoral pilots held at the May 2003 local elections, including those involving all-postal voting. They have also completed a review of absent voting. The Government will be considering their recommendations very carefully.

Public Liability Insurance

Brian Cotter: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many contracts have been awarded to businesses that do not hold public liability insurance by each local authority in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Raynsford: This information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Local authorities are independent and autonomous bodies, responsible within the law for making their own decisions on procurement matters.

Regional Government

Win Griffiths: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the administrative costs have been as a percentage of total spending of each Government Office of the Regions since 1999.

Christopher Leslie: The responsibility for the monitoring of programme funding lies with sponsor Departments (The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, DTI, DfT, DffiS, DEFRA, HO and DCMS). However in 2001–02 the estimated amount of programme funding that was either managed or influenced by the Government Offices was approximately £7 billion. The estimated amounts in 1999–2000 and 2000–01 were of the order of £6 billion.
	The administrative funding of the Government Offices is not directly related to programme expenditure. However, the table below shows the total expenditure figures and the percentage of administrative costs as a proportion of total spending.
	
		
			 Year Programme Expenditure Administration Expenditure Admin %of Total Expenditure 
		
		
			 1999–2000 6,000,000,000 83,707,460 1.38 
			 2000–01 6,000,000,000 88,094,250 1.45 
			 2001–02 7,000,000,000 95,320,160 1.34

NORTHERN IRELAND

Home Start and Sure Start

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list, by district council areas, the (a) Home Start schemes and (b) Sure Start schemes funded by health boards and trusts in Northern Ireland.

Des Browne: With regard to Sure Start projects, the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety provides funding to the four Childcare Partnerships through the appropriate Health and Social Services Board. For financial year 2002–03, the Department allocated a total of £6.6 million across the four Childcare Partnerships. Information regarding allocations to each district council area is not available. Details of Sure Start schemes funded through Childcare Partnerships in financial year 2002–03 are set out in Table 1 below:
	
		
			 Sure Start Scheme Childcare Partnership/HSS Board Area 
		
		
			 Inner City South Belfast Eastern 
			 Inner City East Belfast Eastern 
			 Shankill Eastern 
			 Colin Eastern 
			 Clan Mor (Falls) Eastern 
			 Kids'n'Kin (Ardoyne/Oldpark) Eastern 
			 Downpatrick Eastern 
			 Lower Ards Peninsula Eastern 
			 Newtownabbey Northern 
			 Ballysally Northern 
			 G-old (Cookstown) Northern 
			 Close to Home (Dungannon) Southern 
			 Clogher Valley Southern 
			 Orana (Newry) Southern 
			 Blossom (Portadown) Southern 
			 Cherish (Irvinestown) Western 
			 Dungiven Western 
			 Creevagh/Springtown Western 
			 Shantallow Western 
			 LAST (Omagh) Western 
			 Straband Western 
		
	
	Information on resources allocated by Boards and Trusts for Home Start schemes is also not available on a district council basis. Details of Home Start schemes supported by HSS Trusts in financial year 2002–03 are set out in Table 2 below.
	
		
			 Home Start Scheme HSS Board Area H and SS Trust 
		
		
			 East Belfast Eastern South and West Belfast 
			 North Belfast Eastern North and West Belfast 
			 North Down Eastern Ulster Community and Hospitals 
			 Newry and Mourne Southern Newry and Mourne 
			 Causeway Northern Causeway 
			 ColinLisburnDown District (includes Newcastle and Ballynahinch) EasternEasternEastern Down LisburnDown LisburnDown Lisburn 
			 Armagh and Dungannon Southern Armagh and Dungannon 
			 West Tyrone Western Sperrin Lakeland 
			 Antrim District Northern Homefirst 
			 Carrickfergus Northern Homefirst

Speech Therapy

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many NHS vacancies there are for speech therapists in Northern Ireland.

Des Browne: As at 30 September 2002 there were speech and language therapy vacancies amounting to a whole time equivalent (WTE) of 12.5. Speech and language therapy vacancies detailed by the Trust are given in the table.
	
		
			 Trust WTE(19) 
		
		
			 Homefirst Community 5 
			 North and West Belfast 2.5 
			 Sperrin Lakeland 0 
			 Armagh and Dungannon 2 
			 Causeway 1 
			 Mater Hospital 0 
			 United Hospitals Group 0 
			 Craigavon and Banbridge 0 
			 Altnagelvin 0 
			 Foyle (including Westcare) 1 
			 Royal Group of Hospitals 0 
			 Belfast City Hospital 0 
			 Newry and Mourne 0 
			 Craigavon Area Hospital 0 
			 Ulster Hospital 0 
			 Green Park 1 
			 South and East Belfast 0 
			 Total 12.5 
		
	
	(19) Whole time equivalent.
	Note:
	The above figures do not include vacancy numbers from Down Lisburn HSS Trust.

TRANSPORT

Air Safety

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on the proposals of the European Parliament for longer flying hours.

David Jamieson: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has reviewed the European Parliament's proposed Flight Time Limitations (FTL) requirements. They advise me that, while the requirements are not totally acceptable, with suitable amendment they could form a baseline European FTL requirement which could be supplemented by additional requirements in each member state. We recognise the need for FTL requirements to be harmonised at a European level and should the proposal come before the Council we will work constructively with other member states to ensure that it is appropriately amended. We will not endorse the proposal if any of the limits are significantly different to those set by the CAA in CAP 371, which are in line with scientific advice that the CAA has received over the years.

Counselling Services

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what arrangements are made in his Department to allow staff to access counselling services.

David Jamieson: The Department's Counselling and Support Service is available to all its staff including those in its Agencies. Following machinery of Government changes, the service is provided by the Office of The Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) through Service Level Agreements. Staff can access the service direct during office hours about any issue where there is a perception that work performance is affected.

Goods Vehicles

Huw Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 6 May, ref 111284, if he will propose an amendment to the law to allow parish and community councils to make representations about applications for a Goods Vehicles Operators licence regardless of whether they own or occupy land or buildings in the proposed operating centre; and if he will make a statement on the basis for restricting such representation to owners and occupiers of land and buildings.

David Jamieson: The most effective way for parish councils to comment on applications for a heavy goods vehicle operator's licence is to work with local authorities who have a statutory right to object. The Government launched The 'QUALITY' Town and Parish Council Initiative, a framework for partnership working equipping local councils to take on a stronger role for the benefit of the local community, on 18 March.

International Maritime Organisation

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the UK will become a contracting party to the IMO Bunkers 2001 Convention.

David Jamieson: The International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage (the Bunkers Convention) was adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 2001. It will establish a regime for adequate, prompt and effective compensation to persons who suffer damage caused by spills of oil, when carried as fuel in ships' bunkers.
	On 19 September 2002 the Council of the European Union issued a Decision authorising member states, in the interest of the Community, to sign, ratify or accede to the Bunkers Convention, taking the necessary steps to deposit instruments of ratification, or accession with the Secretary General of the IMO if possible before 30 June 2006.
	On 26 September 2002, the United Kingdom signed the Convention as a clear signal of intent to become party in the near future. We are working with both EU counterparts and states with an interest internationally so that the Convention is brought into operation as soon as possible.

London Underground

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Home Office, (b) the British Transport Police and (c) Transport for London regarding crime on the District line in the London Borough of Havering; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: My right hon. Friend and ministerial colleagues meet representatives of these bodies periodically to discuss a variety of relevant matters.

London Underground

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what basis the selection of the preferred bidders was made in respect of London Underground's public private partnership.

David Jamieson: Negotiation of the PPP was the responsibility of London Underground and its parent body, London Regional Transport. The London Transport Board selected preferred bidders in 2001 for all three PPPs following a rigorous assessment process. London Transport published "London Underground Limited Public Private Partnership: Final Assessment Report" in February 2002, which describes bid evaluation for the PPP.

London Underground

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to prevent a recurrence of the recent disruption to services on the Central Line of the London Underground.

David Jamieson: Both the Health and Safety Executive and London Underground are conducting detailed investigations into the causes of the derailment at Chancery Lane on 25 January. The London Transport Users Committee is holding an inquiry to consider whether total closure of the line was the only reasonable option following the incident and whether services could have been restored more quickly. Once these have concluded, we shall be looking, with LU, at what lessons can be learned to further improve both safety and service resilience in the future and ensuring that a programme is put in place to implement them.

London Underground

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many units of new rolling stock Metronet are to receive; and when they are due to be delivered.

David Jamieson: I understand that Metronet have announced that they will be providing a fleet of 47 new eight car trains for the Victoria Line. The first of these will enter service in 2009 (with prototypes running from 2006) and the entire upgrade will be completed by August 2012. The Sub Surface Lines will receive 190 new trains, the first on the Metropolitan Line in 2009, with new trains coming off the production line at the rate of one every 10 days. A new fleet of trains will also be built for the Bakerloo Line by 2019.

M2

Jonathan R Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much compensation has been given, and on what dates, by the Highways Agency to Buckmore Park Scout Centre as a consequence of the M2 widening; and if he will make a statement about outstanding claims.

David Jamieson: I have asked the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Mr. Tim Matthews, to write to my hon. Friend.
	Letter from Tim Matthews to Mr. Jonathan Shaw, dated 7 May 2003
	The Transport Minister, David Jamieson, has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question regarding the amount of compensation that has been given, and on what dates, by the Highways Agency to Buckmore Park Scout Centre as a consequence of the M2 widening.
	You will know from your previous involvement with the M2 Widening scheme that the Buckmore Park Scout Centre was accepted as a Rule 5 Case under the Land Compensation Act. This provides for compensation to meet the costs of reasonable equivalent reinstatement. Exceptionally, to enable work to be undertaken to organise the replacement facilities and get them built ahead of the M2 widening construction, it was agreed that compensation would be released in stages ahead of the normal "land entry" requirement. The payment of compensation was therefore spread over a period of time commencing in October 1995.
	I set out in the attached annex the full schedule of payments made and dates of release. All these payments included the payment of VAT. You will note that the last entry is for statutory interest, providing for the interest on the difference between the sum released at the time of entry and the latest estimate of compensation.
	You raise the issue of outstanding claims. At the end of 2001, the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), the independent valuer acting for the Highways Agency, had discussed with the scouts' valuer, all the heads of claim and had reached a point where a full and final offer could be made. However, because there was some question as to whether the VAT element could be recovered by the scouts, and therefore not form part of the "cost" of reinstatement, the full and final offer made was presented "without prejudice" to the outcome of the VAT enquiry.
	The full and final offer, in the sum of £10,100,000 (including VAT) was made on 4 December 2001 and apparently accepted by the valuer for the scouts but his recommendation to accept was rejected by his client.
	The dispute over the VAT element eventually led to the scouts making a reference to the Lands Tribunal on 15 April 2002. At that time the solicitor for the scouts raised a claim for compensation on a number of additional items. These were not specified in any way and to date the scouts have not responded to our request for this to be done.
	The Highways Agency has therefore paid in full all the compensation recommended by the VOA up to the full and final offer that was rejected. Subject to the scouts justifying their claim for additional items there are no outstanding sums.
	I hope that this answers your queries. The Project Sponsor for the M2 scheme is Colin Chadwick. He would be happy to discuss this issue in greater detail if you wish. He can be contacted at Room C8, 5 Broadway, Broad Street, Birmingham, B15 1BL—telephone 0121 6788281.
	
		Annex
		
			 Date paid Amount (£) Works/fees Cumulative (£) 
		
		
			 30–10–1995 49,256.06 Fees 49,256.06 
			 15–01–1996 21,525.00 Survey/design 70,781.06 
			 16–04–1996 15,143.11 Design fees 85,924.17 
			 15–05–1996 8,750.00 Design fees 94,674.17 
			 28–01–1997 59,511.50 Design fees 154,185.67 
			 05–03–1997 29,819.00 Design fees 184,004.67 
			 11–03–1997 26,590.25 Fees & preparation 210,594.92 
			 09–05–1997 20,715.25 Design fees 231,310.17 
			 27–10–1997 7,470.26 Design fees 238,780.43 
			 21–01–1998 104,271.41 Fees 343,051.84 
			 16–02–1998 101,590.25 Design fees & bank charges 444,642.09 
			 12–03–1998 17,625.01 Fees 462,267.10 
			 19–03–1998 19,413.94 Fees 481,681.04 
			 17–04–1998 43,850.76 Design fees 525,531.80 
			 23–06–1998 2,432.25 Fees 527.964.05 
			 22–09–1998 50,525.01 Design fees 578,489.06 
			 14–10–1998 227,125.15 Works 805,614.21 
			 22–10–1998 468,733.35 Works 1,274,347.56 
			 23–11–1998 523,427.00 Works 1,797,774.56 
			 21–12–1998 449,153.00 Works 2,246,927.56 
			 29–01–1999 204,034.00 Works 2,450,961.56 
			 18–02–1999 303,761.00 Works 2,754,722.56 
			 18–03–1999 333,020.00 Works 3,087,742.56 
			 16–04–1999 104,455.31 Fees 3,192,197.87 
			 19–05–1999 308,414.00 Works 3,500,611.87 
			 18–06–1999 7,843.13 Design Fee 3,508,455.00 
			 23–06–1999 103,987.50 Works 3,612,442.50 
			 23–07–1999 677,768.94 Works &. Buffer 4,290,211.44 
			 26–08–1999 293,750.00 Works 4,583,961.44 
			 30–09–1999 762,401.47 Works 5,346,362.91 
			 28–10–1999 765,129.80 Works 6,111,492.71 
			 11–01–2000 422,507.39 Works 6,534,000.10 
			 10–02–2000 726,000.00 Works 7,260,000.10 
			 25–02–2000 2,018,000.00 Works 9,278,000.10 
			 25–02–2000 22,000.00 Fees 9,300,000.10 
			 18–05–2000 50,000.00 Disturbance 9,350,000.10 
			 12–09–2000 175,000.00 Works 9.525,000.10 
			 04–01–2001 225,000.00 Works 9,750,000.10 
			 15–03–2001 100,000.00 Works 9,850,000.10 
			 28–08–2001 16,634.02 Seeboard invoice 9,866,634.12 
			 14–02–2002 252,327.58 Interest 10,118,961.70

Marine Environment

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with (a) his counterparts in Europe, (b) his counterparts in other maritime nations and (c) the International Maritime Organisation regarding the creation of internationally recognised marine environment high risk areas.

David Jamieson: I have had no discussions of the sort described concerning marine environmental high risk areas (MEHRAs). MEHRAs are a domestic UK initiative. However, there is an international designation entitled 'Particularly Sensitive Sea Area' (PSSA), which represents the very highest level of environmental protection available through the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). A proposal for a PSSA in western European waters was discussed at the Transport Council in March, and my Department has played an active role in developing that proposal in co-operation with French, Spanish, Irish, Portuguese and Belgian colleagues. The six countries' joint proposal for a PSSA stretching from the Shetland Islands in the north to the coast of Portugal in the south, and including the English Channel, was submitted to the IMO last month and will be considered by the IMO's Marine Environment Protection Committee in July.

Marine Environment

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what targets he has set for the creation of marine environment high risk areas in waters within UK jurisdiction.

David Jamieson: In his report "Safer Ships, Cleaner Seas", which first recommended the identification of marine environmental high risk areas (MEHRAs), Lord Donaldson proposed that not more than about a tenth of the UK coastline should qualify. That is the target I have set.

Marine Environment

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 16 December 2002, Official Report, column 580W, to the hon. Member for Reading, East (Jane Griffiths), what progress his Department is making towards the publishing of the consultation document on marine environment high risk areas.

David Jamieson: The Government remain strongly committed to marine environmental high risk areas (MEHRAs). An interdepartmental group, including representatives of Defra, DTI and my own Department (including its Maritime and Coastguard Agency), together with the devolved Administrations, the country agencies for nature conservation and the UK Hydrographic Office, has been working to produce a report, which will announce the areas which have been identified as MEHRAs and which will consult on the protective measures proposed to protect these locations.
	We have completed traffic surveys of a number of the identified locations on the east and west coasts of the UK, and we are developing proposals on ship routeing measures to take to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). An outline of the results of the traffic surveys and the proposed routeing measures will be included in the report.
	However, this is a substantial task and an appreciable amount of work has still to be done in developing the proposed protective measures. In the circumstances, I now expect the report to be issued this autumn.

National Minimum Wage

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the estimated cost is in 2003–04 to his Department, agencies and the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible of the increase in the national minimum wage from £4.20 per hour to £4.50 per hour.

David Jamieson: No additional costs for staff will be incurred by my Department, agencies and the non-departmental public bodies for which I am responsible as a result of the increase in the national minimum wage with the exception of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency where the estimated cost is £120,000, related to voluntary auxilliary coastguards.

Public Bodies

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport who the chief executive officer is of the (a) Driving Standards Agency, (b) Vehicle Certification Agency and (c) Vehicle Inspectorate.

David Jamieson: The following are Chief Executives of their agencies:
	(a) Mr. Gary Austin—DSA
	(b) Mr. Derek W. Harvey—VGA
	(c) Mr. Maurice R. Newey 1 —VI
	1 On 1 April the Vehicle Inspectorate merged with the Traffic Area Network and is now called the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency.

Railways

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what plans his Department has to stop train companies adding minutes to their summer timetables in order to reduce the fines paid for late trains;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the announcement by Thameslink that it will increase the journey times on its routes in order to reduce the fines it pays for late services.

David Jamieson: The Passenger Service Requirement (PSR) in franchise agreements prescribes permitted journey times on core routes. Operators cannot exceed the prescribed journey times without the approval of the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA). No extensions of permitted journey times have been approved for Thameslink. For services which are not part of the PSR operators agree both train paths and journey times with the infrastructure manager (Network Rail). However, journey times for similar services are usually close because of the way the timetable is constructed.

Railways

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library a copy of the letter of engagement between his Department and Schroders Salomon Smith Barney of 31 August 2001, concerning the future of Railtrack Plc; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The letter of engagement referred to is a commercially confidential agreement between the Department and Schroder Salomon Smith Barney (SSSB) and so would not be appropriate to place in the Library. SSSB were engaged by the Department on 31 August 2001 to provide financial advice on matters relating to Railtrack's financial difficulties.

Railways

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the Greater Anglia rail franchise;
	(2)  what recent discussions his Department has had with (a) First and (b) the Strategic Rail Authority in relation to the Greater Anglia rail franchise;
	(3)  what reasons First has been excluded from the bidding process for the Greater Anglia rail franchise.

David Jamieson: Departmental officials met First Group representatives on 3 April. Departmental officials and Ministers regularly meet the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) to discuss rail issues, including issues relating to franchises. The decision on those selected to bid for the Greater Anglia franchise is a matter for the SRA. The decision followed a detailed qualification process, which is confidential in respect of the commercial propositions put forward. Arriva Trains Ltd., GB Railways plc and National Express Group plc were confirmed as bidders on 1 April 2003, with Invitations To Tender issued on 15 April. Detailed proposals are to be submitted to the SRA by 1 September.

Railways

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) lorry drivers and (b) haulage firms were convicted in each of the last three years for which figures are available for offences involving the (i) tampering with and (ii) removal of tachographs.

David Jamieson: The number of lorry drivers and haulage firms (operators) convicted by the Vehicle Inspectorate (now the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency) in each of the last three years for offences involving (i) tampering with or (ii) removal of tachographs is set out in the table below. In such cases operators are convicted for causing or permitting these offences, unless they are owner/drivers. The figures for convictions for tampering with tachographs also include offences of tampering with the tachograph chart.
	The agency also has powers to prohibit vehicles if the calibration of a tachograph has been tampered with. The prohibition can only be cleared at an approved tachograph calibration centre.
	
		
			Drivers   Operators 
			  2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 
		
		
			 Tampering with tachograph machine/chart 459 495 379 98 51 61 
			 Removal of tachograph chart 21 37 40 7 13 11 
			 Total 480 532 419 105 64 72

Road Haulage Industry

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward measures to monitor and enforce the legislation relating to the misuse of tachographs; if he will undertake more frequent spot-checks in respect of (a) hours of working by lorry drivers, (b) the roadworthiness of vehicles and (c) the legal weight and safety of the cargo; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The specification and use of tachographs is laid down in European legislation, principally Regulation (EEC) 3821/85. This regulation has been amended to require the fitting and use of digital tachographs in vehicles put into service after August 2004. This new instrument will address the common misuses associated with the current analogue tachograph. The working time of drivers is not currently subject to limits except to the extent that drivers subject to the drivers' hours rules must meet minimum requirements for daily and weekly rest—in addition to limits on driving time. A minimum level for checks on compliance with the EU drivers' hours rules is set in an EU Directive.
	We have already taken steps to increase the levels of enforcement for HGV traffic and roadworthiness regulations. In 2001–02, we introduced an additional HGV enforcement package, funded by the Road Haulage Modernisation Fund. The package includes projects to increase the number of examiners available for roadside checks, provide equipment to increase the scope and mobility of roadside inspections, augment advice and education initiatives to prevent offending, enhance data collection and analysis for targeting purposes, and improve roadside inspection facilities.

Road Haulage Industry

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many lorry drivers were convicted in each of the last three years for which figures are available for exceeding the number of permitted hours of working.

David Jamieson: The number of lorry drivers convicted by the Vehicle Inspectorate (now the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency) in each of the last three years for breaching drivers' hours regulations is set out in the table below. The agency also has powers to impose a prohibition in such cases to prevent the driver from continuing his journey until the road safety risk has been eliminated.
	
		
			  2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 
		
		
			 Exceed 45. hours continuous driving 639 559 696 
			 Exceed 10 hours driving in a day 300 262 243 
			 Exceed 9 hours driving in a day 51 30 16 
			 Exceed fortnightly driving (90 hours) 3 7 19 
			 Insufficient rest in a 24 hour period 541 464 460 
			 Insufficient rest in a 30 hour period (double manned) 11 29 19 
			 Failure to take weekly rest 156 1,507 1,568 
			 Total 1,701 1,507 1,568

School Buses

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to introduce further safety standards for school buses.

David Jamieson: I have no plans to amend the construction standards of buses used specifically for school transport.
	The Department consulted last year on the reform of national regulations and approval schemes for the construction and use of minibuses, buses and coaches. The main purpose of these changes is to simplify the current regulatory structure and align our requirements with those common in the rest of Europe. While these proposals do not differentiate between the uses to which buses and coaches are put they will effect all such vehicles including those used for school transport.

Shrewsbury Driving Test Centre

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the reasons for proposing the closure of the driving test centre in Shrewsbury.

David Jamieson: In March, the Driving Standards Agency issued a letter of consultation to interested parties about options for the future provision of practical car driving and motorcycleriding tests in the Shropshire area in order to ensure that the existing test centres continued to meet the needs of the Agency and its customers. The four driving test centres involved were at Telford, Shrewsbury, Whitchurch and Oswestry. The preferred option would have involved co-locating the Shrewsbury and Telford test centres at Telford and closing the Shrewsbury centre. However, as a result of an upsurge in demand for practical tests, the review has now been shelved indefinitely and the consultation exercise suspended. On 28 April, the Agency wrote to all the interested parties explaining there were no longer plans to close test centres in the area for the foreseeable future.

Traffic

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from (a) the Association of Chief Police Officers and (b) the RAC Foundation regarding the proposed Active Traffic Management Pilot Scheme.

David Jamieson: The Secretary of State has not received any formal representations from the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) nor the RAC Foundation with regard to the proposed Active Traffic Management pilot.
	The Highways Agency have ongoing consultations with ACPO, which has provided appropriate advice to the Highways Agency as part of the development of the pilot. Discussions have also taken place with the various motoring organisations, and these discussions are on-going.

Traffic

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will restrict the number of lanes that heavy goods vehicles may use within the Active Traffic Management pilot scheme in the places where drivers are permitted to use the hard shoulder.

David Jamieson: The detailed operation of hard shoulder running in the pilot scheme is currently being developed.

Traffic

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what basis, and for what reasons, a re-assessment of the traffic statistics for 2000 began in 2002.

David Jamieson: Starting in 2000–01, a number of steps have been taken to improve the quality of the published traffic estimates. These include an improvement in the database used to represent the road network, using a Geographic Information System and use of new data from the Highways Agency. Preliminary revisions to estimated traffic levels in 1999, 2000 and 2001, along with a note explaining the revisions, were published in the Transport Statistics Bulletin "Road Traffic Statistics: 2001", issued in August 2002, a copy of which is in the Library. A full revised series back to 1993 will be published in the forthcoming quarterly bulletin "Traffic in Great Britain: Q1 2003", on 8 May.

Train Maintenance Depot, Bedford

Kerry Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with (a) Network Rail and (b) the Strategic Rail Authority on the delays in commencing the installation of a new train maintenance depot at Bedford.

David Jamieson: None. The Strategic Rail Authority and Network Rail are working with Bedford Borough Council to enable the construction of this crucial depot required to facilitate Thameslink services during the Channel Tunnel Rail Link blockade of St. Pancras in 2004.

Transport Scheme Funding

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to establish compatibility of method between funding of rail schemes and road schemes.

David Jamieson: Rail and road schemes are funded in ways that reflect the nature of the investment and of the delivery agents involved. Compatible methods are used for assessing the costs and benefits of rail and road schemes.